By Tony Adibe, Enugu
The Provost and Chief Executive Officer, Federal College of Land Resources Technology (FECOLART), Owerri, Dr Eberechukwu Bede Onwujiariri, has warned students of the tertiary institution against involvement in cultism and cult-related activities, insisting that the school has zero tolerance for such, as well as examination malpractice.
Addressing students, management staff, and other key stakeholders inside the College ICT Centre during its 32nd matriculation ceremony, at the weekend, in Owerri, Dr Onwujiariri advised the newly inducted students to “eschew the attractions of cultism, examination malpractice, fighting, and other vices.” He restated that the school has zero tolerance for all these anti-social vices. “I make bold to state categorically that Federal College of Land Resources, Owerri has zero tolerance for cultism and cult-related activities and examination malpractice,” he said.
His bold statement, however, has raised questions about the apparent existence of such challenges and how serious or otherwise they could be on the campus. Onwujiariri, nonetheless, assured the students that the College has an “efficient security and legal architecture within the campus” that would stand by them in the event of proven cases of violation of their rights, urging the students to always operate “within the ambit of the law.”
Turning to the new students, Onwujiariri explained that matriculation conferred on fresh students full membership of the College, stressing, however, that the matriculation oath required students to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies, acquire the requisite knowledge, and abide by the laws of the College and the nation. “As fresh students, in your pledge to put up good behaviour; your are committing yourselves to be disciplined and to be good ambassadors of the College,” he emphasized.
The Provost said that the College Management under his leadership has identified some key grey areas in the institution, such as power, security, accommodation, crops and animal agriculture development, entrepreneurship, and transport and recreational facilities. “It is my unshakeable resolve that the little challenges being faced in the above-mentioned areas would be tackled head-on and will soon be in the past,” he said.
NewsBits reports that the Provost’s listing of accommodation and security as among the grey areas, also raises concerns being expressed by male students who are said to have deserted the male hostel on the campus even after payment of hostel fees The male students claimed that there is purported acute water shortage affecting them in their hostel where, they alleged, the water-pump handle got damaged and could not pump water over the years.
“The hostel was terribly neglected by the previous administration; otherwise, the water-pump handle would have been fixed a long time ago, and that would have put a stop to male students abandoning their hostel to live off campus,” one student said. “If management during the past administration knew very well that the living condition of the male hostel is nothing to write home about, owing to lack of potable water, why collect hostel payments from unsuspecting male students only for them to quit the hostel and live off campus? We hope that the new problem-solving administration of Dr Onwujiariri, which seems more focused and student-oriented, will give the challenge the attention it deserves,” the student added.
Dr Onwujiariri also spoke on the feats the school has recorded within the short period of his current leadership, recalling that the college embarked on Resources Inspection and Accreditation of “our programmes in December 2024 by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),” adding that after the exercise, “we achieved 100 percent pass on the programmes presented.”
He said: “All the programmes being run in the College are now accredited. Also, this 2026, arrangements have been concluded for NBTE visitation to give full accreditation to 13 programmes of the college, hence after the exercise, most of our Higher National Diploma (HND) Graduates can mobilize for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I believe that the excellent accreditation status of the College will increase the enrolment of students into the College.”
According to the Provost, the FECOLART is currently in affiliation with the University of Cross River State, Calabar, to run programmes ranging from Postgraduate Diploma to Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).
Onwujiariri said the College is a beneficiary of the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Initiative. “The TVET Centre of the College has been upgraded to Grade A, giving it the power to recruit and register trannies. Since the establishment of the centre, it has graduated 182 trannies in five different trades.” He said that at present, the second batch registration is ongoing, and the trades have increased to eight. “This is a boost to the College’s image. It is worthy to note that members of staff and students of the College are benefiting from this initiative,” he said.
He bemoaned the fact that the global economic downturn that is affecting Nigeria has prevented many intelligent youths from having the means of education. He appealed to local government chairmen and other good-spirited individuals in the society to help sponsor some youths to study in the College. “This is what the Majority Leader, Imo State House of Assembly, did recently, when he sponsored many students to study by awarding them a scholarship,” the CEO said.
The Provost equally spoke on the alumni association and what he regarded as the Students’ Group Life Assurance Scheme, which is apparently a new initiative to enhance students’ welfare.
He said that since his assumption as the CEO of the College, there has been an organized alumni association. He said that due to the importance the College attached to the association, management has taken the initiative to unite and strengthen the association. He noted that it was in this effort of the management that “we realized that the College has produced prominent personalities in the society.”
On the Students’ Group Life Assurance Scheme, the CEO said that management had approved the enrolment of students into the Students’ Group Life Assurance Scheme that will cater for students in the event of death (natural or accidental), Accidental medical expenses, Accidental Permanent Disability.
Going down memory lane, Onwujiariri recalled that FECOLART, Owerri (previously known as Federal Conservative College Owerri) was established by the Government of Nigeria by virtue of an official circular on 21st March 2000. The renaming of the College and its counterpart in Kuru, Jos to Federal College of Land Resources Technology, brought the two Colleges directly under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, making them fall within the purview of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).
According to the Provost, these two Colleges are the only two such higher institutions in the whole of Nigeria and West Africa. “By this development, FECOLART, Owerri, is the only Federal College of Land Resources Technology in the entire southern part of Nigeria. The change of name is in line with the requirements of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). Academic activities started on the temporary site at Km4, old Orlu Road, Egbeada, which was formally occupied by the conservation centre for the Eastern Zone. Before this time, 100 square hectares of land were acquired at Oforola and Obosima for the permanent site of the College. At present, the College runs academic programmes in Agriculture, Science and Technology, and allied courses,” Onwujiariri said.
He explained that the matriculation ceremony signalled the official induction of students into various academic programmes they have chosen to pursue.
NewsBits reports that the Director of Academic Planning of the institution administered the matriculation oath on both the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students, after which they were formally inducted into the College, where they were advised to “live up to the highest standards expected of you.”
