ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State, has produced 47 Higher National Diploma and 314 Ordinary National Diploma graduates in six academic sessions from 2014 to 2020.
The institution, located in the creeks of Nun River in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, said the graduating students would feature at a virtual convocation slated for March 23.
The institution’s Rector, Dr Enetimi Seiyaboh, made this known on Monday at a press conference to herald the ceremony.
Recall that the student population grew from 38 in 2016 to over 5,000 currently under the watch of Seiyabou.
The oil and gas-focused institution produced the graduates over a period of six academic sessions – from 2014 to 2020, in various fields of studies.
He said: “It is the celebration of a bountiful harvest in the academic field of innovation, research and knowledge production, an event to honour those who laboured hard in the classrooms, libraries, laboratories and society to contribute to the life and goals of the institution.
“The stakeholders here today also have the opportunity to ascertain the degree of accomplishments made by our institutions in pursuing the mandate to expand the frontiers of knowledge and using acquired knowledge to improve the quality of life and normal fibre of the people.
“The final aspect of any convocation is to engage in national discourse that may affect policy making in the tertiary education sector where polytechnics play a magnificent role of housing the nation’s best trained technologically-oriented minds.”
The Rector said that the convocation is the first of its kind in the polytechnic and a combined ceremony for four sets of graduates of the institution over a six year period.
He explained that the graduating students were found worthy of learning and character and approved by the Academic Board of the Polytechnic for the award of National and Higher National Diplomas in various courses.