From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, recently held its 44th matriculation with pomp and colours. The occasion marked the formal induction of new students into the institution.
The event at the polytechnic’s mini-stadium attracted thousands of students, new and old, as well as parents, friends and well-wishers of the matriculants. The high point of the occasion was the administration of the matriculation oath on the new students.
In his address, rector of the institution, Dr. Michael Arimanwa, congratulated the students for being among the “lucky few out 50,000 candidates that applied for admission this year.”
He charged them to be focused on the primary objective of their studentship, which is to study and graduate, and become professionals in their chosen fields of endeavour.
The rector advised the students to take their lectures seriously and avoid tutorials by some students that bring about confusion.
His words: “Do all your assignments and tests. Don’t miss any class and, if you unavoidably do, then copy notes, revise the topics and avoid tutorials by students who may damage what your lecturers have taught you. Use the library judiciously and you will achieve success in your examinations.”
The Nekede poly helmsman reminded the new students to be conscious of the character they portray.
According to him, the academic board of the institution would not consider any deviant student as a graduate of the institution. He charged them to ensure that their “character must at all times be clean and unquestionable so that you will not constitute an embarrassment to themselves.”
Arimanwa also read the riot act to the matriculating students on the dos and don’ts of the institution. The rector advised the students to avoid any form of indecency or inappropriate dressing.
He declared his administration’s zero-tolerance for examination malpractice, stating that anyone found culpable would be expelled.
Furthermore, he affirmed that the polytechnic under his watch would not tolerate any form of cultism, advising students to shun evil associations and clandestine relationships, which could lead to their rustication.
The rector equally warned the freshmen to be wary of co-habitation, as their parents did not send them to school “to become or act as illegal wives or husbands and end up with unwanted pregnancies or babies, instead of your graduation certificates.”
He also reminded the students to avoid late nights, which result in rape and other avoidable consequences. Similarly, he admonished them to be wary of night parties, which are breeding grounds for immorality.
The rector hinted that the Internet coverage of the polytechnic when completed would lead to a 24-hour service in every nook and cranny of the institution, a feat that would offer a robust service for research and profitable digital operations.
Arimanwa however, warned students to avoid the temptation of using the services for pornography and other forms of Internet fraud.
He disclosed that with the e-library in place, “no student of the institution has any excuse of failing examination for research because the resources for success are already available.»
The rector made a case for parents to monitor their wards as a means of living up to their parental responsibility, adding, “can help us by checking on your wards frequently and unannounced. Always monitor their academic progress. The records are available in the departments. Do not indulge them no matter how you love them.”
One of the highlights of the event was the award of scholarship to five matriculating students by the Rector, Dr. Arimanwa. One of the students, Jennifer Eleaka, a physically challenged student of Mass Communication read an address on behalf other matriculants. Some others were given scholarship for daring to read courses that were presumably for a certain gender.