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By Ikechukwu Chukwudi-Abiandu (The Legacydreamz).

To those who are stakeholders of the Nigerian Students Movement in Delta North Senatorial District, the upcoming public hearing for the upgrade of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba is sentimental, as well as a turning point in the journey to the rejuvenation of the institution to deliver its core mandate as a citadel of knowledge, technical skills acquisition, and a preparatory experience for young adults ahead of their final assimilation into society.

Established in 1987, the FCET is the oldest tertiary institution in Delta North Senatorial District but a streak of poor administration, nonexistent oversight, and misprioritisation have left it redundant, such that rather than exist as a lifeline and infrastructure of pride to ndi Asaba and Anioma, it now bears painful memories of what it could have been over the years.

As of today, the proposed upgrade being advocated by Senator Ned Nwoko is a befitting response to the cries for attention to rejuvenating the purpose of the institution as a training ground for teachers and technicians, noting that decades of abandonment have led to a decline in the infrastructure, and the student population now stands at unbelievably low statistics.

Senator Ned Nwoko’s advocacy for the upgrade of the institution is the legacy and long-lasting solution needed to put an end to the ineffectiveness of the institution as it is today, noting its prime location at the outskirts of the rapidly growing city of Asaba.

A visit to the institution will reveal a myriad of challenges suffered by the students, which would receive necessary attention upon the successful upgrade of the institution, including:

1. Lack of Electricity: Students from the institution have constantly expressed their frustrations with the absence of regular electricity, especially during the nighttime when it would be needed for studying. This upgrade would enable the institution to tackle this issue directly.

2. Insecurity: The school fences are dilapidated with not less than 8 porous spots through which students are robbed violently attacked, maimed by criminals, and forcefully initiated into secret cults, as well as with several reported cases of female students facing rape threats.

3. Poor Administration And Management: The upgrade will ensure that more professionals, experts and academic administrators will be employed, engaged or redeployed there, to ensure more effectiveness in running the institution as an incubator of tomorrow’s leaders and change makers.

4. Rejuvenated Student Life/Community: Another aspect of this timely upgrade is the rejuvenation of the student’s community to offer that wholesome experience of being an undergraduate with extracurricular activities to add spice to school life.

This aspect needs more emphasis because, in over 35 years of FECOTECH Asaba’s existence, the school has yet to have a Students Union building, nor has it ever had a Students’ centre, denying students avenues for expression in leadership, commerce and community partnerships.

This upgrade will ensure an injection of more infrastructure and funding, while also availing the students opportunities to exhibit their skills and knowledge of leadership, ahead of the future.

The list of benefits to be derived from the advocated upgrade of the institution being advanced by Senator Ned Nwoko is endless, with remote, immediate and long-term aspects, but one major advantage will be that Asaba being the capital of Delta State, will finally have its long-desired Federal University. This has been a deep-rooted desire not only of Asaba indigenes but also in the heart of Anioma people who now see Asaba as a landmark of unification.

Senator Ned Nwoko continues to exhibit his commitment to ensuring a legacy for the people of Delta North Senatorial District, and the upgrade of the Federal College of Education (Technical) will be one of lasting impact which the people of Asaba, Oshimili South, Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency and Delta North Senatorial District will forever remember with smiles, a deserving sense of pride and a proof of the dividends of democracy.

* Comrade Ikechukwu Chukwudi-Abiandu is a Special Assistant (Directorate of Communications),
*Office of the Senator Representing Delta North Senatorial Zone,
*Chairman, Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation,
*10th National Assembly (FRN)