How To Become An Exemplary Leader: The Engr. Dr. Michael Arimanwa (Rector, Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri) Example

By Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha Fcai

A Variable Has Two Sides : The Converse And The Obverse. It Is The Fusion Of The Two Sides That Gives One The True Impression Of The Given Variable. Conversely, Human Personality Is Also Like A Variable, Because The Converse And Obverse Sides Of An Individual Are Loaded With Positive And Negative Attributes, Depending On Who Is Doing The Evaluation Or Precisely, Depending Where The Evaluator Belongs.

In November 2020, I Was Very Hard And Critical, Through My Article, On The Rector Of The Polytechnic Nekede-Owerri, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa. However, The Said Article Was Written Based On Information Available To Me Then. Human Personality Is Also Like A Variable, Which Has Two Sides. Nevertheless, A Closer Observation On Rev Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa’s Activities As Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Exposes A Leader Who Has Tirelessly Transformed The Institution To Greater Heights.

Indeed, A Good Wine Needs No Bush. Even Though I Am Not Here To Advertise, Trumpet Or Boast About The Achievements Of The Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Rev Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa, There Is Need To Open The Minds Of The Public, To The True Picture, Who Have Before Now Been Fed With Falsehood And Coated Blackmail, All Aimed At Painting The Revered Man Of God With Tar Brush.

According To The Gospel Of St Marks Chapter 15 Verse 10, It Was Out Of Envy And Poor Knowledge That Our Lord Jesus Christ Was Betrayed, Handed Over And Killed. Conversely, The Achievements And Selfless Service Of Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Have Become So Phenomenal That It Has Attracted Envy And Attacks. Nobody Attacks You When You Are Unripe. Nobody Will Attack You When Your Glory Is Not Showing And Shining. Unripe Fruits Are Ignored, Deserted, Overlooked And Abandoned, Because They Are Not Nutritional.

I Therefore Invite The Reading Public To Join Me In This Crusade To Reel Out The Achievements Of This Intellectual “Edifice”, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa, Who Within Three Years Of His Leadership As The Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Has Surpassed All Projections And Permutations.

It Should Be Noted That God-given Visions Usually Seem Impossible To Achieve, When Viewed With The Ordinary Eyes ; But He Is Able To Fulfill Whatever He Has Promised (Romans Chapter 4 : 21). For A Rector Who Has Ensured Unity And Unity Of Purpose In The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, There Is No Point Or Height Too High For Him To Reach.

Upon His Inauguration As The 8th Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, On The 3rd Of October 2018, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Quickly Assembled The Various Heads Of Academic And Non-academic Departments In The Institution To Discuss The Affairs And Challenges, In Order To Proffer Sound And Good Solutions To Move The Polytechnic Forward And To Greater Height.

For A Leader Who Rose From The Status Of A Student To Lecturer, To Senior Lecturer (Civil Engineering Department) Head Of Department, (Civil Engineering Department), Dean School Of Engineering And Finally, Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Knew He Was Of Better Experience To Handle The Challenges And Understood The Solutions Required To Place The Institution In An Enviable Height.

Bearing These In Mind, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Took It Upon Himself To Make The Polytechnic An Institution Of Note, By Introducing A Lot Of Leadership Initiatives As Follows.

1. He Has Digitalized Every Department In The Institution, Thereby, Making Academic And Administrative Work Easy, More Efficient And More Effective, Both For Students And Staff Of The Polytechnic ; Thereby, Replacing All Manual Operations.
2. Automation Of Core Operations And Processes Involved In All Management Activities. These Operations Include

A. Purchase Of Admission Forms.

B. Certificate Screening Of Successful Candidates.

C. Medical Screening.

D. On-line Course Registration.

E. Biometric Identification.

F. Admission Tests.

G. Admission Of Computer Based Tests, Like ; Mathematics, English, Citizenship Education Etc.

H. Refurbishing And Re-establishing Of One More Standard Computer Based Test Centre.

3. PLAGIARISM : The Rector, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa’s Leadership Qualities Has Exposed The Decency Of His Credibility, Dignity And Integrity, In His Drive And Desire To Achieve Academic Checks. To This End, He Set Up An Anti-plagiarism Committee Headed By Dr Chris Anyia, Who Is The Polytechnic Librarian, To Maintain Academic Checks (On Excellence), And Deputized By Dr O. N Ezirim, Director For Academic And Quality Assurance Department. This Was Followed With A Workshop To Sensitize On Checks On Academic Excellence..
4. As Part Of Its “SMART CAMPUS INITIATIVE”, And In Bridging The Gaps And Bringing Further Development, The Rector Set A Target For Aggressive Advocacy To Attract Relevant Agencies And Good Spirited Individuals For The Development Of Both Human And Capital Resources Within The Institution. To This End, The Federal Polytechnic Nekede Had In February 2020 Held An Interactive Worshop With ZENOX COMPUTERS Led By Its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Leo Stan Eke, At The Multi-capacity Auditorium On The Campus. In His Opening Remarks At The Workshop, The Rector, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Explained The Concept Of “SMART CAMPUS INITIATIVE”, Thus, ……….” My Leadership Is Determined To Ensure That Appropriate Information And Communication Technology And Other Technological Tools That Enhance Quality Teaching And Learning Are Adopted By The School”.

“Every Staff, Both Academic And Non-academic Are Undergoing Training To Effectively Digitalize The School For More Viable ICT, And Ensure Better Qualified And High Flying Performing Team. This Is Because, Given The Dynamic Manner Lecture Rooms Are Changing Globally, Digital Teaching And Learning Is Gradually Replacing Traditional Educational Methods In Classrooms”.

To This End, New E-learning Approaches Have Been Adopted To Ensure Efficiency And Effectiveness Not Only In Teaching But Also In Examination Coordination. This Would Provide For Both Staff And Students A Wider Educational Base, More Engaging Activities, Better Contexts And Optimum Sense Of Perspective Than Traditional Educational Methods ; Thereby Increasing And Boosting Ones Productivity And Efficiency.

5. Upon The Signing Into Law, The New POLYTECHNIC ACT, On The 18th Of June 2019 By President Mohammadu Buhari, The Ever Vibrant, Proactive And Ebullient Rector, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa, Became One Of The First Rectors In The Country To Impliment The Contents Of The POLYTECHNIC ACT, Inaugurating The Congregation Of Items.
6. In His Usual Attributes In Always Taking The Lead In Proffering Solutions To Multi-task Problems, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Tackled The COVID-19 Pandemic ( Which Recently Threatened Global Human Existence) By Setting Up A COVID-19 Response Committee, Made Up Of Engineers And Scientists From The School of Engineering And School Of Applied Sciences.

The Committee Was Charged With The Responsibility Of Coming Out With Measures To Tackle The Spread Of The Disease. The Vibrant Rector Through The Committee Came Up With A Mind Blowing Innovation, By Designing And Fabricating Two Machines ; Automated And Semi-Automated Hand Washing Devices, Which He Launched On The 30th Of April 2020. The Committee Was Headed By Mr Anderson Ezeibe. The ✋ Hand Washing Devices Are PEDAL OPERATED, And Are Also Solar Powered. They Have Now Been Mass Produced For Use In Restaurants, Hotels, Banks, Government Ministries And Agencies, And Other Public Places.

Also, During The Peak Of Heat Of The Pandemic In The Country, The Rector Magnanimously Extended His Support And Solidarity To The Imo State Government By Donating (On Behalf Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede) Hand Sanitizers, Automated And Semi-Automated Hand Washing Devices. The Executive Governor Of Imo State, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodinma Graciously Thanked And Commended The Rector And His Team For The Ingenuity In The Production Of The Products By The Polytechnic.

7. As An Internally Generated Rector, IGR, (Having Grown From The Status Of The Student Of The Polytechnic To Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Head Of Department, Dean And Finally Rector ) , Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa, In His Selfless Agenda And Desire To Embark On Infrastructural Development, Has Ensured That ALL ( Indeed ALL) Projects Abandoned Or Put More Precisely, Uncompleted By His Predecessors Are Completed, While New Projects Are Ongoing. According To Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa, “Administration Is A Continuum”, Hence, He Has Concretely Built On What He Met On Ground. To Him, It Does Not Make Sense Coming Into Office And Abandoning Projects Started By His Predecessors.

AMONG THESE BUILDING PROJECTS INCLUDE

A. The Completion And Handover Of Complex D, School Of Business And Management Technology, SBMT.

B. The Completion And Handover Of Office Complex Of School Of Environmental Design And Technology, SEDT.

C. The Completion And Handover Of Office Complex For Agricultural Technology In The School Of Industrial And Applied Sciences, SIAS.

D. The Completion Of Office Block For School Of Engineering Technology, SET.

E. The Classroom Complex For School Of Engineering Technology, SET.

F. The Classroom Block For School Of Environmental Design And Technology, SEDT.

G. The Classroom Block For School Of Humanities And Social Sciences.

H. Upgrading Of ICT Facilities And Provision Of Classroom Furnitures

I. And So On And So Forth.

It Should Be Noted That Some Of The Funds Used In Executing These Building Projects Came Through The Intervention Of TERTIARY EDUCATION TRUST FUND, TETFUND, Which Is A Body Set Up By The Federal Government To Arrest The Rot And Deterioration In The Educational Infrastructure Occasioned By Long Period Of Neglect And Very Poor Resource Allocation. The Second Source Of Funding Is From Internally Generated Avenues.

8. As A Proactive And God Fearing Visionary Leader, With Both Magnitude And Direction, Who Has The Staff And Students Development At Heart, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Signed A Mutual Cooperation Agreement Between The Federal Polytechnic Nekede And The Institute Of Chartered Accountants Of Nigeria, ICAN, On The 23rd Of September 2020. This Synergy With ICAN Is More Of Academic, Because Of Professional Expertise And Experience One Gets Through The Professional Body. Due To The Student’s Difficulty In Getting Chartered After Graduation And Leaving The School, Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa Made It Possible For Them To Enrole In ICAN Through This Synergistic Understanding, While Still As Students Of The Polytechnic.
9. RECONSTRUCTION OF QUALITY ROADS

The Indigenous Rector, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa, In His Inaugural Speech On The 3rd Of October 2018 Said, “We Will Partner With Government And Its Agencies To Attract The Construction Of Befitting Access Roads”. Three Years After, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Has Lived Up To Expectation. ALL Internal Roads In The School And ENTRANCE Road Leading Into The School Have Been Completed, With Good Quality Drainages.

10. As Part Of Its Community And Corporate Social Responsibility, The Rector, In Conjunction With The Governing Council Of The Institution Donated Several Brand New Motorcycles To Host Community Vigilante Heads. This Is Aimed At Easing The Challenges Posed By Lack Of Mobility During Security Emergencies.
11. Wheel Chairs Were Donated To Retired Staff Of The Institution Who Are Bedridden.
12. The Nigeria Police, Nekede And Ihiagwa Division Also Received ✋ Hand Sanitizers Produced In The Institution And Brand New Computer ( All In One Desktop), As A Way To Encourage The Police Force, In Their Efforts To Rid The Society Of Crimes.
13. In Its Bid To Promote Diligence And Hard Work, The Rector And The Governing Council Gave Five Brand New Tricycles To Five Most Senior Drivers Of The Institution To Appreciate And Support Them In Their Drive To Growth.
14. The Host Community Is Not Left Out Of The Care Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede. At The Peak Of Heat Of The Coronavirus Pandemic In 2020, The Rector And The School’s Management Team Visited The Traditional Ruler Of The Host Community, HRH Eze Dr Godwin Merenini, The Dibia 1 Of Umudibia Nekede, And Donated Twenty Bags Of Rice And Hand Sanitizers, To Help Caution The Effect Of The Pandemic.

Honestly, Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Has Truly Lived Up To Expectation By Demostrating What Leadership Is All About And Should Be. As Should Be Expected For A Performer And Lover Of God And Humanity, Awards And Recognitions Have Continued To Decorate His Achievements In Office. These Awards Are Too Too Too Too Too Numerous To Mention Here. He Has Local, Regional, National And International Awards And Recognitions. It Will Therefore Be An Understatement To Say That Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Is The Most Outstanding Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede Since Its Inception In 1978. Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa Is Still A Work In Progress. He Is Still Evolving. By The Time He Becomes A Finished Product, The Polytechnic Community Would Be Grateful To This Revered Man Of God And Miracle Of Ingenuity, Rev Engr Dr Michael Chidiebere Arimanwa, For His Selfless Service In Leadership On One Hand, And For His Unbeatable And Unmatchable Record Of Achievements And Excellence On The Other Hand.

Congratulations, Sir, On Your Third Anniversary As Rector Of The Federal Polytechnic Nekede- Owerri.