Abia state governor Dr Alex Otti has empowered 100 graduating students of the state owned Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba, with one million naira grant each, announcing that 200 others will be sponsored for a six-month field technical training programme.
The governor announced this at the weekend during the institution’s 22nd convocation ceremony for 2,178 graduating students , recalling that 150 graduates of the institution with demonstrable entrepreneurial interests, had during the 2024 combined convocation for the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 batches, were empowered with one million naira grant each, to enable them establish businesses.
The Rector Dr Chris Kalu Okoro
reported that the polytechnic students are now being sought for by organisations to be posted to them for their industrial training/ internship , and that all it’s 31 academic programmes were duly accredited by the appropriate statutory authorities.
The Rector who said that to graduate and earn the Polytechnic’s Certificates, all students shall/ must mandatorily undertake and pass Igbo Language and Artificial Intelligence ( AI) Courses, and in addition, acquire one Skill before graduation.
Governor Otti, who in his speech at the convocation titled “Education as a Responsibility“, confirmed that the ₦150 million grant to the 150 graduates were fully disbursed, and that the beneficiaries’ progress shall be monitored, added that an additional ₦100 million, was also packaged for a new batch of 100 graduates that possess “feasible, bankable and scalable” business ideas.
He consequently beckoned graduates who had Distinctions in their final results to submit their comprehensive business plans electronically to his office via oggh@abiastate.gov.ng , on or before 31 December 2025, and directed the Commissioners for Works, Housing, Power and Public Utilities, among others , to design a six-month field training programme for the 200 students with proven technical competence.
Governor Otti commended the Institution’s Management for holistically transforming it within the last two years, including the infrastructural developments at the Osisioma permanent site, thus paving way for the commencement of phased academic activities there from January, 2026.
While tasking students in all the state tertiary institutions to do their best, assuring that government shall give them necessary material support that would facilitate their success here in Abia state, he said “the days of letting our best and brightest brains wander off after graduation and begin to struggle in far-off corners of the world without support are gone.
“Our aim is to ultimately create a system that empowers the young people in the State to be part of our development journey, supporting project execution in road infrastructure, housing, electricity, public water supply and more, as the days of letting our best and brightest brains wander off after graduation and begin to struggle in far-off corners of the world without support are gone”.
One of the high points during the convocation was the presentation of a posthumous award conferred on the late pioneer elected Abia State Dr Ogbonnaya Onu to his widow, Dr Chinyere Onu, by governor Otti, who acknowledged late Dr Onu’s vision , which he said , led to the establishment of the institution, now renamed in late Dr Onu’s) honour by the Otti administration.
WRITTEN BY GORDI UDEAJAH
