Some distinguished sons and daughters of Rivers State were conferred with award of Fellowship by the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku in Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area.
The awardees which included the Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Amaechi Obuah were honoured at the 9th-18th combined convocation of the college which held on Friday with the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba as guest of honour.
Also conferred with the Fellowship award were the founder of Salvation Ministries, Port Harcourt, Pastor David Ibiyeomie; former Managing Direction of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Christian Azubuike Oboh and HRH, Eze Allen Nwaobokroha, JP, Eze Ali Usomini II of Ogbaland.
Others are: HRM, King Prof. Anele Uzondu Wokoma, Eze Egi II of Ogbaland; wife of Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Dame Judith Amechi; a former Provost of the institution, Dr. Sir Nkasiobi Silas Oguzor; pioneer Registrar of the college, Dr.(Mrs.) Victoria Abba Tekenah and Ambassador Chief C.D. Orike J.P, first Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State.
The Provost of the college, Dr. Ikenyiri while speaking at the event, said Bro. Felix Obuah, an indigene of the host community, Omoku and former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State was considered worthy of the Fellowship award as an outstanding achiever and was the first President of the Students Union Government as well as first Alumni President of the college.
The Provost congratulated the graduands for achieving the significant milestone, urging them to be good ambassadors of the institution.
Dr. Ikenyiri appealed to the federal government to fund the college as it was currently bedecked by challenges, even as he lamented the low enrolment of students into the college due to lack of interest.
“The NCE programmes will soon go into extinction if federal government do not do anything to arouse the interest of our children into the programmes. We therefore call on the National Commission for Colleges of Education and Federal Ministry of Education to pursue the bill seeking to convert the Federal Colleges of Education into Universities of Education, which is in the National Assembly”, he said.
The Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, in his address at the occasion, posited that the Federal Ministry of Education will put all machineries to ensure that Nigeria produces the best teachers in all strata of education.
He advised the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCC) to work in synergy with the ministry of education to actualize this objective.
A total of three thousand, nine hundred and thirty (3,930) graduated from the Bachelor’s Degree, PDE and NCE of which Nwajiuba offered automatic employment to the overall best graduating student of the college, KonduIbifiribara James.
