By Patrick Titus, Uyo
The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Mrs Edumma Enobong Essien, has said that the institution is committed to being among the foremost citadels of technical education in Nigeria through a renewed emphasis on practical teaching and learning.
Noting the mission, Mrs Essien spoke of a future where theory will shake hands with practice, and learning will no longer be confined to the four walls of the classroom.
Speaking in her office during the inauguration of the Convocation Committee for the institution’s maiden convocation, she said the Polytechnic was founded on a vision to bridge the skills gap in the country’s manpower landscape.
The Rector explained that technical education must transcend paper qualifications and dwell in the fertile fields of invention, innovation and industry. “Our aim is to produce graduates who can think with their hands and work with their minds,” she said with her words laced with quiet conviction.
She added that the school’s Entrepreneurial Centre and Skills Acquisition Centre were purposefully designed to nurture middle-level manpower equipped with the competence to create jobs rather than seek them.
In her view, “a country that neglects technical education is like a ship without a rudder, tossed about by the winds of unemployment and underdevelopment. “Here in Ukana, we are determined to change that narrative,” she declared.
Earlier, the chairman of the Convocation Planning Committee, Mr. Jude Inyangetoh, expressed appreciation to the management for the confidence reposed in the committee.
He assured that members would deploy their experience to ensure a memorable and successful maiden convocation.
“We understand the significance of this moment in the life of our Polytechnic and we will work tirelessly to make it historic,” he pledged.
With the tone set and the vision clear, Federal Polytechnic Ukana appears poised to stride boldly into a new dawn. Under Mrs Essien’s leadership, the institution seems determined to prove that excellence is not a coincidence but the result of courage, commitment, and creativity — three values that stand at the intersection of education and national transformation.
