Prof. Ezionye Eboh, the Rector, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, said on Thursday that the institution would relocate to its permanent site at Osisioma, near Aba, in January 2020.
Eboh made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba, saying that the institution would begin its 2019/2020 session at the new site.
NAN reports that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia laid the foundation stone for permanent site in Nov. 2015.
He said that with the progress of work at the site, courtesy of the state government and support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the place would soon be ready.
Eboh said: “Through the combined efforts of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu and TETFUND, there is a massive investment at the permanent site.
“And at the rate we are going now, I expect that by the commencement of the next academic session, we will begin to have academic activities there.
“As I am talking to you now, work is going on at the site, a two-storey building is almost completed, while three new structures are currently ongoing.
“These new structures will take care of classrooms, offices and laboratory.”
Eboh expressed gratitude to the governor and TETFUND for their support and commitment to the progress of the institution.
He said that the institution had introduced Mass Communication, Taxation and Purchasing and Supply to meet the admission needs of people within its catchment area.
He said that the institution had employed additional lecturers to handle the new courses, adding that no fewer than 40 students had so far registered for Mass Communication.
“As a responsible institution, we will do everything to make sure that we normalise the process of fulfilling all the necessary obligations as required by our regulators,” Eboh said.
The rector said that the polytechnic had made giant strides technologically, adding that it received an award in 2018 from the National Board for Technical Education.
He said that early this year, students in the Department of Electrical Engineering in the polytechnic developed a special electric lamp with a 15-year lifespan.
According to him, the lamp can be “dissected and re-assembled at the snap of the finger.”
The rector called on interested businessmen and investors to partner with the institution to mass produce the lamp.“
“An institution like Abia polytechnic at the heart of Enyimba City has high expectations on it and we will not offer anything less,” Eboh said
NAN reports that the polytechnic is currently operating at its temporary site located at the heart of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia.