By: Promise Dekoo
Authorities of the Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers State, says the school is set to convocate eight sets of graduands after an eight-year hiatus. This is as the newly appointed Rector, Dr George Wadike, days he’s working hard to address most of the schools longstanding infrastructural and operational challenges.
Wadike disclosed this during a pre-convocation briefing held at the school campus Bori. He also used the opportunity to highlight achievements of his administration and the challenges still confronting the school.
The rector recalled that the institution’s last convocation was held in 2018, describing the forthcoming ceremony as a major milestone for the institution.
He said that within six months of assuming office, his administration had cleared the backlog of eight years of convocation exercises, bringing relief to students, staff and the wider Polytechnic community.
“This convocation is a major achievement by my administration because the last convocation in this Polytechnic was in 2018, but within six months of my appointment, we have cleared eight years backlog of convocation arrears,” he said.
The rector listed inadequate classrooms, offices, furniture, laboratories, workshops, studios, resource centres and sporting facilities among the major infrastructural challenges still confronting the institution, stressing that epileptic and irregular electricity supply from the national grid remains another major challenge.
Wadike, however said his administration had recorded significant improvements in several areas, including security, staff-student relations, relationship with the state government and the Polytechnic Governing Council, staff welfare, facility maintenance and environmental cleanliness.
He listed the establishment of a cyber café at the institution’s Information and Communication Technology Centre among the achievements recorded under his leadership.
On security, the Rector said the management had strengthened collaboration with security agencies to tackle cultism, robbery, harassment of students and threats to the lives of staff and students in Bori and its environs.
He said the Polytechnic had reinforced its relationship with the Anti-Cultism Squad, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which, he noted, regularly patrol the campuses and surrounding areas.
Wadike also disclosed that the management had adopted proactive measures to curb intermittent student unrest through regular engagement with students’ union leaders and improved communication channels between management and students.
He said orientation programmes had also been organised to foster better understanding between students and management and reduce unnecessary unrest.
On staff welfare, the Rector said arrears of allowances owed teaching staff engaged in part-time programmes were being paid.
He said the payment was part of efforts to improve staff welfare and strengthen cordial relations within the institution.
Wadike expressed his administration’s commitment to addressing the Polytechnic’s remaining infrastructural deficiencies while consolidating the gains recorded in security, staff welfare, student relations and other areas.
As part of the convocation activities, the Rector, Dr George Wadike; Chairman of the Polytechnic Governing Council, Prof. Friday Sigalo; and other members of the management team participated in a tree-planting exercise around the institution’s administrative building, underscoring their commitment to environmental sustainability and a greener campus.
