Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The federal government has ended 30 years groaning of lecturers and students of Federal College of Education Technical in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, following the rehabilitation and handover of 710 metres internal roads in the school. The staff and students of the college who expressed joy yesterday, during the handover of the reconstructed roads by Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, said it has created a more conducive atmosphere for academic activities in the college. 

Handing over the project, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure in the college, as the project was also an investment in education. Represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Mr. Olufemi Adetunji, Fashola stressed that it was undebatable that quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment. “Today we converge at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State to hand over an important asset of 710 metres rehabilitated internal roads by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on behalf of the federal government. 
 
“While it is true that a lot of work needs to be done in many sectors of our national life, including education, the Buhari government has stepped up to lead the process of getting that work done.
 
“The gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the schools.
 
“It is undebatable that quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedback from students in the schools where this type of intervention has taken place.”
 
He added that the federal government has successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various federal tertiary institutions and has handed over a total of 46 as at March 2022 and another 18 ready to be handed over,  while currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 83.
 
Describing the roads as critical infrastructure for learning, the Provost of the College, Dr. Emmanuel  Ikenyiri, expressed happiness at the intervention, adding that the situation which the college has suffered since its inception has impacted negatively on the academic activities in the college. 
 
The Provost, who commended the federal government for the roads, requested that more roads be constructed in the college and pleaded that the college be converted to a Federal University of Education. 
 
“This will make movement easier, lecturers will move to their lecture halls without encumbrances. The students are happy with what the federal government has done: roads are critical infrastructure for learning for every higher institution. 
 
“The place was forest for over 30 years, since the inception of the institution. Lecturers were scared, an unconducive environment leads to tension but with this, it has made movement easy and created joy for students, lecturers and other staff,” Ikenyiri said.