The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has called on the Federal Government to upgrade Oko Polytechnic to a University of Technology and name it after Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Obi said this at Okpala square, Enugu, during the funeral ceremony of Dr. Alex Ekwueme.
Speaking to newsmen during the ceremony, Obi said it was gladdening how Nigerians trooped out to honour Ekwueme, whom he described as an “austere professional, a finished scholar and a great politician that recognised that politics was about service to the people.”
Recalling some of the many infrastructural projects Ekwueme spearheaded provision at various times, Obi specifically requested one of them – the Polytechnic at Oko in Anambra State – not just to be upgraded to a University of Technology, but to be named after him.
Justifying the call for re-naming of the higher institution after Ekwueme, Obi said: “Naming of epistemic institution after Ekwueme is not only a compliment to his contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria, but also in recognition of his great learning spanning across many disciplines.”
