NEWS
GOV. ALEX OTTI EMPOWERS OGONNAYA ONU POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES WITH N100M BUSINESS GRANT, LAUNCHES 6-MONTH TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR 200 STUDENTS AS 2,178 GRADUATE
…as Institution Honours Late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu with Posthumous Award
…Rector, Dr. Christopher K. Okoro revealed that ”No administration has put a kobo into the Osisioma Campus, but Governor Alex Otti has invested billions”
The Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has announced a transformative empowerment package for graduating students of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic (OOP), Aba (formerly Abia State Polytechnic). The Governor declared a ₦1 million grant each for 100 graduates and approved a 6-month field technical training programme for 200 students with verified technical competences, as the institution celebrated the graduation of 2,178 students on Friday, December 5, during its 22nd Convocation Ceremony held at the School’s Convocation Arena.
Speaking during the ceremony, Governor Otti disclosed that the empowerment scheme, totalling ₦100 million, is designed to expand opportunities for graduates with bankable and scalable business ideas. The initiative, according to him, is anchored on his administration’s strategy to position youth as active drivers in the economic transformation of the state.
In a speech titled “Education as a Responsibility,” Governor Otti recalled how he previously announced a ₦1 million business grant to 150 graduates during a combined 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 convocation ceremony, totaling ₦150 million. Confirming the disbursement of the funds, he stated:
“I am happy that the exercise has now been concluded and funds disbursed to those who met the strict qualification criteria.
“Let me congratulate the beneficiaries and inform them that we shall be monitoring their progress; those who do well shall get more support from us,” the Governor assured.
Governor Otti then unveiled a fresh empowerment window for the new graduating class, announcing:
“For the new class of graduates, permit me to inform you that we have made available another ₦100 million to support 100 of you who have business ideas that are feasible, bankable and scalable…
“Interested graduates who made Distinction in their final result are invited to submit their comprehensive business plans to my office for evaluation… All submissions should be sent electronically to oggh@abiastate.gov.ng by or before December 31, 2025.”
Beyond business support, the Governor further extended opportunities to technically skilled students, stating:
“I have also directed the Honourable Commissioners for Works: Housing; Power and Public Utilities, and the heads of the 3 regional development authorities, Greater Aba Development Authority, Umuahia Capital Development Authority, and Greater Ohafia Development Authority, to develop a 6-month field training programme for 200 of you with proven technical competences…
“Our aim is to ultimately create a system that empowers the young people in the State to be part of our development journey.”
The Governor emphasized that Abia would no longer allow its brightest talents to drift into economic uncertainty after graduation, declaring:
“The days of letting our best and brightest brains to wander off after graduation and begin to struggle in far off corners of the world without support are gone… do your best and we shall offer you further material leverage to find genuine success right here in Abia.”
The Governor commended the management of the institution for its remarkable developmental stride over the past two years.
“I was sincerely impressed with the infrastructural developments taking place at the Permanent site of the School at Osisioma which will be commissioned in due course,” he said, praising the Rector, Dr. C. K. Okoro, and his team for their “holistic transformation” efforts.
Governor Otti also presented a posthumous award to the late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, received by his wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Chinyere Onu, noting that the institution’s renaming immortalizes the ingenuity of the former first civilian Governor of Abia State.
Chairman of the Governing Council, Engr. Stanley Egege, expressed deep appreciation to the Governor, attributing the school’s achievements to his administration’s unwavering support.
The Rector, Engr. Dr. Christopher Kalu Okoro, praised Governor Otti’s unprecedented intervention in the school’s infrastructural development and highlighted the abandoned state of the Osisioma Campus before Governor Otti came into office.
He disclosed emphatically that: “No administration has put a kobo into the Osisioma Campus, but Governor Alex Otti has invested billions”
He further revealed that the Polytechnic has recorded two convocations within his 22-month administration, an achievement made possible under the education-friendly atmosphere created by Dr. Otti’s government.
The Rector announced that all 31 academic programmes presented for accreditation were approved, a feat he described as unprecedented in Nigeria’s educational history, and revealed that the institution would begin full campus activities at its Osisioma site by January 2026.
In separate remarks, Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, and the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Eme Uche Eme, hailed the Governor’s transformational efforts.
The Speaker noted that examination malpractice has been drastically eliminated from the institution, while Prof. Eme described the school as “the pride of Abia State.”
The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of awards to outstanding graduates, with Nwosu Goodness Chimamanda of Computer Science, who achieved a CGPA of 3.94, emerging as the overall best graduating student.
Governor Otti was accompanied by Senator Darlington Nwokocha; the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Austin Okezie Meregini; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu; Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu; Deputy Chairman of Aba North LGA, Hon. Chijioke Ogbuisi; and members of the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council led by HRM Eze Linus Nto
, among other government officials and dignitaries.