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Ama Abraham
When two months ago, the traditional rulers in Arochukwu Kingdom visited the Abia State College of Education (Technical) in the town, they were astounded that the once glorified secondary school had been transformed to a great citadel of learning with imposing structures and a serene environment. After a guided tour of the campus, they told the Provost of the College, Dr Philips Nto to perish the thought of leaving after the expiration of his first tenure. They elected to stage a protest to the Abia Government House to persuade Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to reappoint him.
That planned trip was aborted because Ikpeazu without prompting from any quarters renewed Dr Nto’s appointment effective March 3, 2020. His achievements had gone before him and spoke volumes. Those who knew what the college was in 2016 when Nto first birthed there have always wondered the magic wand he waved to exorcise the derelict squalor that pervaded the environment and in its stead imposed structures that have given a face lift to the institution.
If Nto didn’t know better, he would have thought that he was sent to ASCETA in 2016 as a punishment. The infrastructure were run down. The morale of staff was at its lowest ebb owing to issues of welfare. The students’ population was down. In fact there was a general sense of abandonment such that only the lion hearted would have accepted the appointment. However, Nto being lion hearted and a distinguished Alumni of University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike where he obtained multiple degrees, was not deterred. He was determined to succeed.
As the then immediate past Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning and a World Bank Consultant, Dr Nto came prepared. He started from the basics, restoring the environment, providing security, connecting the school to the national grid, rehabilitating the dilapidated hostels and motivating the staff through payment of their salaries as soon as the government released the subventions.
As an academic, working in an academic environment, he tackled the issue of accreditation of courses in the various schools. Approaching the National Council on Colleges of Education (NCCE), which has withdrawn accreditation from those courses was not easy. But he had a governor who believed in quality education, thus the state government availed him the resources with which he employed to secure accreditation for almost all the courses in the college. He also resuscitated the moribund affiliation with Abia State University and went a step forward to affiliate ASCETA to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
It is instructive that those very policy issues gave ASCETA a fresh breath of life. Students wishing to undertake a straight four-year course can now do that comfortably because a man who understands where he is going was given an opportunity to drive the vision of the state government on education. He also strengthened the academic staff capacity to ensure that the College produces the best graduates within the Southeast region.
But the nagging issue of the inability of the College to issue certificates to her graduates became a challenge, which Dr Nto immediately confronted. Today, for the first time since the inception of the institution; graduates are being issued their National Certificate in Education and degree certificates from the affiliated institutions. This has understandably given the students the confidence to make ASCETA their destination College of Education.
Having firmly secured the academic front, Dr Nto turned his attention to infrastructure. It is instructive that when he arrived at the College, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) had severed relationship with ASCETA because the previous administration failed to adhere to the fund’s rules. It is a general knowledge that to be qualified for a new project, the benefitting institution must have completed a previous one satisfactorily. Dr Nto had to source money elsewhere to complete all the abandoned TETFUND projects, including the fish pond, thus qualifying the school for new ones.
When some of his senior staff refer to the Provost as Mr Infrastructure, it is not for nothing. Within the last four years, he has executed landmark TETFUND projects running into millions of naira. Those include the College’s Auditorium, School of Arts and Science, and School of Business Education. Two other projects are ongoing while he has attracted a N1billion intervention fund. The N1 billion is special high impact and will assist in landscaping. In addition, hundreds of staff, including academic and non-academic have received local and international training under the fund.
That was why both staff and students of ASCETA were ecstatic when Governor Ikpeazu graciously renewed his tenure for another four years. That was why the host community, Arochukwu led by the traditional rulers could not hide their joy that the Provost has been offered another opportunity to consolidate on the gains of his first tenure.
It was not surprising, therefore, when the College on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 erupted in joyous celebration to receive the reappointed Provost. As the new auditorium was filled with staff, students and well wishers waiting for him, Dr Nto elected to first visit the traditional rulers of Arochukwu kingdom to seek their royal blessings. He told them God answered their prayers through Governor Ikpeazu to bring him back and that it was only natural for him to formally thank them for their support and seek their collaboration in the years ahead.
Eze Eze Agwu, Mazi Majesty, Mazi Okoroafor Uror who spoke on behalf of his colleagues described Dr Nto as a proud son of Abia State who has earned the respect and accolades being heaped on him. He said they were happy because the Provost has transformed ASCETA academically and infrastructural and, therefore, deserved his second tenure. But they pleaded with him to present to the government the plight of staff who were down-sized last year with a view to paying them their entitlements.
As the Provost left the palace en route the College, hundreds of students forced him down from his car and led him into the College with a dancing troupe. A journey of just three minutes took them about 30 minutes within which the carnival-like atmosphere had reached a crescendo. In fact, the Chairman of the inaugural ceremony, Dr Paul Anyaogu said it was just a modest show of appreciation from the College community for a job well done.
And that became a refrain for every speaker in the solemn assembly held to inaugurate the Provost for a second tenure. The Guest Speaker and Assistant Parish Priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Ututu, Rev. Fr. Samuel Kalu-Okondi eulogized Nto for heeding the call of God and the society to serve selflessly.
Responding, Nto acknowledged the supreme presence of God in his life. He acknowledged the benevolence of Ikpeazu for reposing confidence in him. He acknowledged the sacrifices of junior staff of the College who toiled even without salary to ensure the success of his administration. Above all, he acknowledged that whatever progress he made would not have been possible without the collective efforts of the entire staff. While seeking forgiveness from those he might have offended in the course of his assignment, he emphasized that all his actions were aimed at making ASCETA better than he met it.
He, thereafter, announced a four-year strategic plan comprising academic development, infrastructure, staff development, capacity building, sports development and backward integration. He said the programmes under backward integration will help artisans and other youths acquire skills in welding, block moulding, agriculture, carpentry, poultry and piggery management, barbing and catering with a view to making them self-employed.
Nto also pledged to focus on staff welfare and commended the governor and the Finance Commissioner, Dr Aham Uko for promptly releasing subventions to the College to enable it pay staff salaries. He said he was engaging the government to ensure that retired staff of ASCETA are scheduled for pensions while the issues of promotion and salary arrears would be addressed in due course. He, however, urged the staff to reciprocate these gestures by working harder to realize the vision of the founding fathers for ASCETA as a ladder through which the technological breakthrough of Abia State will be realized.
•Abraham is Special Adviser to Abia State governor on Political Affairs
