The Alumni of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo at a Reunion party on Monday, held in Auchi, Edo state, organised by the Class of 1993 has pledged to provide necessary support to ensure the upgrade of obsolete facilities and full accreditation of the department.
“We learnt that the department got interim accreditation because of lack of adequate facilities and we are looking forward to providing some level of facilities to enable the department to obtain its accreditation in due course,’’ the Chairman Planning Committee of the reunion, Boniface Onyeadi.
“So, we are looking at providing some facilities that will be able to give the department full accreditation.
One of the Alumni, Umar Allid said that “the reunion was not just a get-together but an opportunity for us to contribute our quota to the development of the department”.
Allid appreciated members for initiating the idea, adding that plans were ongoing for the group to become a strong association to reckon with in the future.
“This reunion is supposed to be in place all this while, thank God it has come on board.
“Our aim is to see the goodness of the department and wellbeing of the Mass Communication students.
“The equipments are obsolete and we are planning to assist in replacing them with modern equipment that will aid the effective teaching of students to meet up with the modern requirements of journalism of this time,’’ he said.
Miss Ese Erica Ekama, a Senior Editor with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and an alumnus of the department commended the lecturers for impacting knowledge on them.
Ekama said the knowledge acquired in the school had made them excel in their various field of life.
“The kind of foundation they gave us at the early stage of our lives has made us become who we are, we have excelled in our various fields, you can see from the testimonies, from the introduction, we have assistant directors in high places of authority.
“Government alone cannot do everything, with our little contribution can go a long way in making an impact in the society,’’ Ekama said.
“So, we just felt that since we have benefited so much, it is good to give back to the department that has moulded our characters to be who we are today.
She further said that “journalism is about two things, it is either you are naturally gifted or you are determined to learn it. I was naturally gifted in broadcasting, but I found myself in print, but I was determined to learn it and that was what I did.
“Today, I am a Senior Editor with NAN, that is a great success and a landmark,’’ she said.
Dr John Orhewere, the Dean, School of Information, Communication and Technology of the institution, and Dr John Edemode, a Senior Lecturer in the Department, expressed happiness for the encomium poured on them by the alumni.
“I feel very proud, you do not get rewarded for lecturing or teaching until you see the products you have help to produce.
“Class 1993 is a long time, I was about six to seven years in the polytechnic,’’ Orhewere said.
According to Edemode, you did not hear any of them complaining that we pampered them, what they say is we were very strict and for me, that is a compliment, spare the rod and spoil the child.
“What we taught them is hard work and we are happy they are doing well and we hope that they would impact those under them that they should be strict and fair weather in the classroom or anywhere they are,’’ Edemode said.
