<em>Federal Polytechnic Nekede Commences First Semester Exam July 4</em>

Federal Polytechnic Nekede is set to commence her first semester 2022/2023 exams on July 4, 2023. In a memo FPN/R/82/V/119 dated June 12, 2023, the Registrar of the institution, Mrs. E. C. Anuna, informed the Polytechnic Community that the new date was to enable students pay their outstanding fees in order to sit for the examinations.

The memo reads in part: “Following from the above, we wish to inform the Polytechnic Community and the students that the examinations scheduled to commence on Tuesday 20th June, 2023 have been shifted for additional two (2) weeks making a total of three (3) weeks extension.”

From all indications, there may be no going back on the new date because the Polytechnic is determined to commence its second semester as soon as the first semester exams are over. Also, the institution is set to organize a combined Convocation very soon.

Meanwhile, some alumni of the institution have hailed the Rector and his Management team for being so compassionate with the students to the extent of granting them a three-week exam extension. For them, this is a great sacrifice because Management would have to shelve the programmes of the Polytechnic which had long been scheduled in the Calendar of the institution. They, therefore, enjoined students to take advantage of the window offered them to pay their fees.

Some alumni members have also argued that parents have an obligation to pay their wards’ fees at not later than two weeks of resumption. They decry a situation where after four months in a semester, this obligation has still not been met.

It will be recalled that the cost of maintaining essential services in Nigerian tertiary institutions is substantially borne by the latter. A tanker of diesel which used to cost N12M before now costs over N32M, just as the costs of other services have skyrocketed. Yet, the institution is expected to generate power and run essential services.

Monday, 12 June, 2023.