ITMT has produced giants in all sectors of the economy – Amb. Chief Adarighofua A. Enakireri
– story by Alfred Omenihu
History was made on the 21st of March 2020 as the Institute of Transport and Management Technology officially inaugurated their Alumni under the distinguished chairmanship of Amb. Chief Adarighofua Augustine Enakireri at Gen JT Useni hall with the school premises located at KM 43 Badagry expressway, Lagos.
The event started with the accreditation of members, presentation of brief manifestoes by the contestants and subsequent election into various post of the pioneer Alumni Executives. At the end of the free and fair election, the following emerged as pioneer executives of the Alumni; Comrade Remedy Sylvanus Yange of EFCC – President, Comrade Emmanuel Nwankpa, the station manager of Arik air Limited (PH.) – Vice president 1, Bankole Sunday the instructor, Lamb Maritime Academy – Vice president II, Engr. Francis N. Igwe of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority – National General Secretary, Emeka Louis Iloaba of MC Louis Travels and Tours LTD- Assistant National Secretary, Comrade Dashal William Johnson, the Admin officer of ITMT-National Organizing Secretary, Festus Okoro Mamaoke – National publicity Secretary, Joseph Ilemoboyo Luwa – National Financial Secretary.
In his opening remark the Chairman of the occasion poured encomium on the Rector Dr Mrs Lilian Chibor as a dynamic, precious amazon and Lady of our time. “Today is a big day in the history of the institute. There are only two institutions in the world, ITMT and others. Transport is very pivotal to the economy of every nation because it serves as the gate way. Without transport nothing moves. I am glad that the institute has produced giants in all sectors of the economy. Today a seed has been planted, and in few years to come, we will be expecting bumper harvest. The Alumni today has become the mirror that the students will be proud of” he observed.
Continuing, the dynamic freight forwarder, transport administrator, and maritime consultant said, “To whom much is given much is expected. We will expect you to pick up a project in time to come and i hereby promised that I will be available whenever you call on me. The Rector is a powerful and determined woman who has taken the institute to all sectors of the industry be it NPA, NIMASA, NAGAFF, SON, NAFDAC, Aviation etc. And with your effort, from now, the sky will be the stepping stone for the institute. I have strong confident on the crop of Alumni here today and I am proud to be the pioneer chairman of the foremost Alumni Inauguration. There will be a general meeting at the end of every year and another election will be conducted after 2yrs of this tenure. Today we pray for you to succeed because nothing works without prayer’’ he concluded.
In her keynote address, the Rector, Dr Mrs Lilian Chibor thanked God for the wisdom and boldness to embrace Alumni. She extended her unalloyed gratitude to Dr Fred Tonwe Ehinmeten the MD/CEO Caterpillar Giant Services Limited and Giants Air travel and Logistics Services , Who took the responsibility to mid- wife the new born baby as the BOT Chairman. “Mr President, I explore you today to embrace tolerance, Patience, temperance and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that your regime will be very memorable. For me, I am filled with imperishable Pride with this new Alumni. From today, your opinion will count in the scheme of things in the institute and whenever you feel we are not on the right track, do well to correct us.”
Talking about the proposed projects/plans of the institute, the able Rector said, the management is planning to add more courses to the approved programme of the institute, but a lot of resources are required to carry out this project. We believe God and with your support, we will achieve that within the shortest possible time. Again, we also want to build comfortable hostels for the students. Due to the location of the school and the nature of our road, it has become imperative for us to have hostel facilities because lack of it is denying us a lot of students. Another plan is to expand and upgrade our library to enable us accommodate more programmes. The last but not the least is the construction of an I.T. Centre. The institute plans to establish an I.T center that will enhance the academic performance of the students. Above all, I sincerely thank everyone here for honoring our invitation and pray for a successful celebration,” she concluded
Furthermore, the BOT Chairman at the adoption and official endorsement of the Alumni Constitution, charged the new Excos to protect jealously the aims and objectives of the Alumni and mold themselves as catalysts that will quicken reactions in the school in terms of helping the school to achieve top academic level. He revealed that the certificate of incorporation of the Alumni and seal will remain in the custody of the BOT as custodian of Alumni heritage but can be accessed by the Excos anytime they deem fit. “It is the responsibility of today’s leadership to decide the next direction. You have the right to appoint patrons from all sectors of the national economy.
In another development, while adding his voice from the high table, Mr Ralp Agbogu opined that, the dignity of any institute is the Alumni. I can see that the newly inaugurated Alumni is ripped for the task ahead. Time will come when the institute will become mother to many aviation consultants because over 70 percentage of the economy is driven by transport and maritime”, he said.
Hon Emeka Enwelu a super brand per excellence in the Nigerian maritime sector threw his weight to the newly Alumni exco saying, ‘’I don’t have any doubt in your capability to pilot the affairs of association. I wish you all the best. Success only come to the determined, hence I enjoin you today to raise your determination bar”.
In the same vain, the good friend of the Rector Mrs Shifon Nnadi who was very much around charged all married couples to carry their spouses along in all they do in case of any eventuality. Yes, without such sense of belonging by the founder Late Dr Victor Chibor, the Rector today would not have been able to pilot the affairs to this extent.”
In his acceptance speech, the new president said;
“Dear Alumni, I feel both honored and humbled to have been given the opportunity, out of the multitude of very illustrious and highly accomplished products of our great institution to lead these prestigious Alumni. In more than 36 years of the school existence, ITMT has amassed an impressive graduation of able men and women with good accomplishment and reputation in various fields. Moreover, I kept on recalling the memorable word of our father/founder late Dr Victor Chibor ‘’do well and pass your exams, when you get good job I shall be happy even if I’m not there with you’’. I am very aware that I am not the best and certainly not the most accomplished, yet you, colleagues, have found me worthy of such an honor and perhaps the first president to lead these prestigious Alumni.”
“Again, I am truly, truly humbled. Most importantly, I am grateful, to you my colleagues and to the Almighty so how can I justify this immense trust. In the words of Aristotle, ‘’dignity is not in receiving honor, but in deserving it’’. At the very least, I assure you that I shall remain mindful of the sacredness of this trust placed upon me. I cannot go one moment without being conscious of the unique identity of our prestigious institution. I shall not fail to uphold the noble objectives of these Alumni. I shall rise to the challenge. Today the touch has passed on to a new generation of great men and women born in the post-independence era. We want to restate our commitment to the foundation ideology of these Alumni. We will ensure that we continue to give back, out of the abundance that this prestigious institution has given us, in a way that will reinforce our impact and relevance to this institution. We will work to restore the greatness of the institute by outlining our priority programs for the years ahead.”
“Our agenda involves working assiduously to empower our Alumni first; it addresses those who have done well for themselves to ‘’LEARN TO PULL TOGETHER EACH ONE WITH THE REST. This further imbibes in our character, generosity, kindness and reminds us that when we are successful, we should look back with a reaching arm and pull up our brothers.”
“In “giving back’’ we must also look beyond the material and the temporal. We must remember that what ITMT gave to us first, was the honorable character, the distinction and the self-belief that has become the core essence of the ITMT grooming. These qualities are as ‘’BRIGHT AS WE BEING THE FOUNDERS’’ and we must continue to impart them to the present and future generation of ITMT scholars through constant knowledge sharing, through relentless role-modeling, and through dedicated mentoring.”
I say it always and I will say it here again; the greatest achievement in my life is the privilege of having attended Institute of Transport and Management Technology. To this effect, we will see to improved coordination, synchronization, collaboration of events and activities across to our members and the institution.”
“We would like to congratulate those who continue to present themselves for service in the establishment of these Alumni, while also reminding them of the trust placed upon them as they discharge their responsibilities. We all are dedicated to the highest standard of ethics and moral code conduct. We count on your cooperation towards achieving our objectives. In pursing these noble objectives, our mission is to make our modest contribution to restore and present the greatness of our institution. This should be our solemn pledge. It is the very least we can do for this great institution that has given us first, an exceptional education, and then the privilege of being part of a family that others can only dream about.”
“Finally, I would like to salute our mother leader Dr Lilian Chibor (Rector) the new Board members, committee, guests of honor and members of the Alumni for their contribution in delivering the new born Alumni of the ITMT. Thank you”
