…..Rector’s 19-month transformation drive reshapes infrastructure, ICT, skills development

By Nicky Okeke

The Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, is fast acquiring the unmistakable look of an institution in the throes of an infrastructure revolution.

Across its campuses, construction activities, renovated facilities, new structures and technology-driven initiatives have become increasingly visible, in what supporters describe as one of the most aggressive development drives in the history of the institution.

At the centre of the transformation is the 9th substantive Rector, Dr. Chioma Irene Awuzie, who assumed office on February 4, 2025, with a declaration to change the trajectory of leadership at the polytechnic.

Nineteen months down the line, the Rector’s supporters say the transformation is no longer a promise on paper but a reality that can be seen in concrete, steel, technology and newly activated facilities across the institution.

From abandoned projects to new infrastructure, from a moribund printing press to renewed operations, from inadequate ICT facilities to the deployment of more than 141 desktop computers, the Awuzie administration has embarked on a broad-based repositioning of the institution.

Indeed, the scale of activity has prompted admirers to nickname the Rector “Madam Project.”

The 12-point agenda

Awuzie’s administration did not begin without a roadmap.

Her 12-point agenda set out priorities in human resource development, academic reinvention and programme development, students’ welfare, discipline, stakeholder engagement, academic integrity, public relations and image management, security, financial transparency and infrastructural development.

Rather than allow the agenda to remain a catalogue of promises, the administration has moved to translate several of its objectives into projects and programmes.

The result is an institution where infrastructure has become one of the most visible manifestations of the new administration.

One of the clearest examples is the Hospitality Management/Hotel Complex, a project that had previously been abandoned.

Today, the once-neglected structure has been revived into a towering edifice, providing a practical training environment for students while simultaneously changing the physical landscape of the polytechnic.

For the Rector’s admirers, the project has become symbolic: a reminder that abandoned infrastructure can be rescued, completed and put to productive use when there is political will and administrative determination.

From classrooms to skills centre

But the transformation is not limited to buildings.

The administration has established a Skill Development Centre aimed at equipping students with practical, industry-relevant skills.

Training programmes include welding and fabrication, fashion design, feed production, networking and system security installation, among others.

The initiative reflects the growing demand for graduates who can combine academic qualifications with practical competencies.

The administration has also reactivated the Polytechnic Printing Press, restoring an important institutional facility that had become moribund.

Healthcare, accommodation, staff welfare

Other major projects include the Senator Barnabas Gemade Medical Centre at the Ufuma Campus, as well as male and female ultra-modern hostels at the extension site.

The Staff Sports and Relaxation Centre is another facility linked to the administration’s development agenda, while the Polytechnic monument at the main gate has added a new physical identity to the institution.

Several other projects are reportedly at different stages of completion across the campuses.

Awuzie’s ICT gamble pays off

Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of the Rector’s administration is its emphasis on technology.

The delivery of more than 141 new desktop computers to the ICT Directorate has strengthened the institution’s digital infrastructure and enhanced its preparedness for computer-based academic activities.

The development also contributed to the polytechnic’s capacity to host JAMB UTME.

But the administration’s digital push has produced an even bigger dividend.

The Federal Polytechnic, Oko, was selected as the only South-East institution for the First Lady’s Pilot Digital Technology Project.

The selection is being viewed by supporters of the Rector as an endorsement of the institution’s renewed digital direction.

First Lady’s visit

Against this backdrop, the visit of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, to the institution has assumed considerable significance.

She is expected to commission the ICT Experience Centre, Chemical Engineering Building and Students Examination Hall, further adding to the growing list of projects associated with the current administration.

For an institution seeking to reposition itself among Nigeria’s leading polytechnics, the commissioning of such facilities represents more than a ceremonial event.

It is a statement about where the institution is heading.

Critics silenced?

When Awuzie assumed office, expectations were high and criticisms were inevitable.

But her supporters contend that the projects delivered within the relatively short period of her administration have provided a practical response to scepticism.

Awards and commendations have subsequently come from organisations and interest groups, with supporters pointing to them as recognition of her commitment to institutional development.

Whether the accolades will endure will ultimately depend on the sustainability of the projects, their impact on teaching and learning, and the ability of the administration to consolidate the gains already recorded.

For now, however, the physical evidence is increasingly difficult to overlook.

The Federal Polytechnic, Oko, is changing.

And at a time when many public institutions struggle to maintain existing infrastructure, Oko is witnessing a burst of construction, rehabilitation, digital investment and skills-development initiatives.

A Rector determined to leave a mark

From her first day in office, Awuzie reportedly set out to make an impact and place the polytechnic on the national map.

The projects emerging across the institution suggest that she is determined to be judged not merely by speeches, policies or administrative pronouncements, but by what she leaves behind.

The Hospitality Management/Hotel Complex, Skill Development Centre, medical centre, hostels, printing press, ICT infrastructure, staff facility, broadcasting infrastructure and other projects collectively constitute a visible footprint of the administration.

The real test, however, will be ensuring that the facilities are properly equipped, maintained and deployed to produce the academic, technological and human-capital outcomes for which they were established.

For now, Dr. Chioma Irene Awuzie has unmistakably placed infrastructure and institutional renewal at the heart of her administration.

And as the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, prepares to receive the First Lady for the commissioning of major projects, one message from the Rector’s admirers is becoming louder:

The transformation has started. The projects are speaking. And “Madam Project” is not slowing down.