SBMT Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba Holds 5th National Conference
The School of Business and Management Technology, Ogbonna Onu Polytechnic, Aba formerly known as Abia State Polytechnic, Aba hosted its 5th National Conference on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
The epoch-making Conference with the theme, ‘Innovation and Sustainability: Emerging Trends and Challenges’ took place at the Polytechnic’s Auditorium and brought together a galaxy of the Polytechnic’s lecturers, other participants and special guests from far and near.
In his opening remarks, the Dean, School of Business and Management Technology (SBMT), Dr. Chinweoke Nwaeze thanked his colleagues, staff and students of SBMT and others for their presence.
According to him, the Conference aims at showcasing their deep commitment to research, innovation and sustainability aimed at making academic work and life generally easier despite numerous challenges.
He wished all engaging discussions, valuable takeaways and meaningful connections adding that Conference of such scope and magnitude is not only for them to come and present papers and go but also a time to connect with people from other institutions and different parts of the nation and beyond.
Thereafter, the Conference was declared open by the Rector, Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Engr. Dr. Christopher Kalu Okoro represented by the Deputy Rector (Administration), Dr. Chizaram Ogbuji.
He welcomed all, especially those from other Polytechnics across the nation on behalf of the Rector.
He said that the Rector would have come to declare the Conference open but left for other exigencies and delegated him to represent him.
He described the Conference theme: ‘Innovation and Sustainability: Emerging Trends and Challenges’ as apt and all-embracing.
He recalled the numerous challenges telephone users faced in the 80s saying that if your line had fault, then, you would go and report it at NITEL office nearest to you and they would give you a date when they would come and trace the fault and when they discovered it, they would give you another date when they would come to rectify it and if they eventually come they would ask you to hire a ladder and taxi that would take them around to restore your line and at the end of the day they would still not restore your line.
But today where are they, he asked stressing that innovation has dealt with that system.
He said that the NITEL workers suffered people a lot then without knowing that innovation was going to deal with them when former President Olusegun Obasanjo came on board and launched GSM, it took over the communication system in Nigeria.
He described the GSM as a great innovation adding that virtually everybody in the nation today has handset.
He also noted that in the same 80s you have to buy bank draft before you can transfer money and it would take some days if not weeks before your account is credited.
But today where is that system, he asked stressing that electronic banking is now everywhere and people can sit down anywhere and transfer millions of naira within a second.
He asserted that life is dynamic adding that what is considered as the best thing today could become obsolete maybe within the next 72 hours.
He noted that everybody is upgrading everyday describing it as a direct result of research and innovation.
He expressed optimism that the Conference would yield huge dividends and at the end of his speech he declared it open on behalf of the Rector and threw the floor open for the resource persons to spark.
Thereafter, one of the principal resource persons and former Acting Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Dr. Uzoma Ibeaja, mounted the rostrum and delivered a keynote lecture titled, ‘Business Innovation and Sustainability: Emerging Trends and Challenges’.
He thanked the organizers for finding him worthy to present a paper during their 5th National Conference.
He said that innovation is all about thinking and doing things differently and made reference to Schum Peters who said that when you do things differently you would be innovating to buttress his assertion.
He noted that the business landscape has changed from what it used to be adding that it is no longer all about profit maximization but also maximization of other factors like employer-employee relationship, relationship with others as well as the environment.
He recalled the challenges faced by the sprawling Ariaria Shoe producers in Aba over the years and expressed optimism that with the improved power supply in the city following the commissioning of Prof. Barth Nnaji’s Geometric Power Plant, which he described as an innovation that they would now heave a huge sigh of relief, increase their production capacity and sustain their business.
He said that the emerging trends in sustainable business practices across the nation are more challenging than the traditional business model.
According to him some of the emerging trends include producing and re-using your product instead of the old practice of producing and discarding after use, eco-friendliness, technological integration, supply chain transparency, increased stakeholders interest, social and environmental impact.
He said that the major problem hampering innovation is finance and disclosed that most times financial institutions do not fund start-up businesses. They wait until you start before they come in.
He noted that complexity and regulatory compliance, lack of awareness and education, lack of dedicated and strong leadership are other limitations affecting innovation.
In the face of these daunting challenges, he averred that with a dedicated and strong leadership you can turn things around for the better.
He pointed out that evolving your own business strategy, setting up a realistic, measurable and achievable goal, investing on research and development, building a diverse and qualified workforce, making use of new technologies among others would help in overcoming the limitations affecting innovation.
He rounded off by telling them that if they want to innovate, they should innovate and sustain what they have innovated. His superb presentation drew resounding applause.
On his part, the lead presenter, Dr. Evans Daniel Eshett, the Dean, School of Communication Arts, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua took a panoramic view of the Conference theme and titled his own presentation, ‘The Case of Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria: Trend, Challenges and the Way Forward’.
He highlighted the emerging innovations in key sectors of the nation’s economy establishing the imperatives of sustaining these innovations for long term economic sustainability as well as identifying the structural and institutional challenges in innovations and sustainability and proposing sustainable strategies for promoting innovation and laying a solid foundation for economic development in Nigeria.
He acknowledged that new ideas and new methods of doing things are coming up such as renewal energy, renewal bulb, money transfer and the rest of them.
He noted that some people do not have account in commercial banks but they have in moniepoint, Opay, Fair money, Palm play and other fintech digital platforms.
He described it as an innovation for financial inclusiveness adding that you send money across to anybody, anywhere, anytime.
He said that the agricultural sector is also witnessing an innovation as well as e-commerce where you can buy and sell without coming in contact with anybody.
However, he expressed dismay that in the midst of all these emerging trends Nigeria is lagging behind in terms of ranking and innovation index.
According to him, Nigeria’s ranking on global innovation index where the globe has been divided into seven regions is 113 out of 133.
This position, he said, places Nigeria on bottom quarter indicating significant room for improvement in research, infrastructure and innovation output, not innovation consumption.
He asserted that innovation drives economic development and has a lot to do with value addition.
On that note, he advised that innovation should be sustained adding that whoever comes up with something should be able to sustain and improve on it.
He also said that if somebody has produced something locally that the person has to be encouraged to produce more but noted that instead of being proud of the innovation and encourage the innovator they would deride his what he produced as made-in-Aba or Nigeria.
He described the situation as worrisome stressing that it is capable of smouldering the spirit of innovation or incentive genius in so many Nigerians.
Apart from that, he said that innovation is fraught with onerous challenges including lack of support, inadequate infrastructure, poor electricity supply, roads among others.
He lauded the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti (OFR) for bringing innovation to the state stressing that the clean environment and improved power supply in the legendary Enyimba City and commercial hub of the state have impacted positively on the manufacturing sector, commercial activities and social life of the people.
He acknowledged government efforts in funding research in Polytechnics and appealed to them to increase it to make technical and vocational education attractive.
He reiterated that innovation is vital to the nation’s economic growth and sustaining it requires supportive environment where ideas can flourish and drive it.
At the end of his wonderful presentation, the Dean, School of Business and Management Technology (SBMT), Dr. Chinweoke Nwaeze including all those present appreciated him for doing justice to the topic and presented a Certificate of Participation to him.
There was lunch break followed by plenary session.
According to Dr. Chinweoke Nwaeze, the plenary session is a technical aspect of the Conference where lecturers present their papers maybe in groups or individually.
He said that some of the presenters came from other Polytechnics and highlighted its importance stressing that to be a good academic staff as well as to be promoted you must make research, write it down and present it during Conference or publish it in journals.
He described the Conference as a huge success and expressed profound gratitude to God for making it possible.
He appreciated the Rector, Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Engr. Dr. Christopher Kalu Okoro for his love and huge support.
He described him as an innovative and transformative Rector saying that he has done so well within a very short time in office and assured him of their unwavering support.
He also lauded the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti (OFR) for his quality leadership and massive transformation of the state.
He described him as an education-friendly Governor and lauded him for all the good things he has done for them.
He thanked all his colleagues, staff and students of SBMT including their special guests and all the participants, especially those in Malaysia who participated via zoom.
He commended the LOC Conference /Journal Committee Chairman and moderator of the event, Uzochukwu Precious Nwakodo for coordinating the event with panache to the admiration of all and sundry.
He also expressed deep appreciation for his lovely wife, Mrs. Nneamaka Gift Nwaeze and his wonderful children for their love, care, support and prayers.
The Conference attracted the presence of Dr. Fijoh Ome Kalu, the Deputy Registrar (Academic), Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Dr. C. C. Ehiodo, Dr. C. S. Mpamugo (Chief Lecturer, Department of Banking and Finance), Dr. Mrs. Nwakanma, Dr. Mrs. Ann Ikechi (Dean, Student Affairs), Pastor Mrs. Favour Dimoji (HoD, Business Administration and Management), Dr. (Mrs.) Lovina Emelogu, Dr. Ezebunwa Ubani, Dr. Ukandu Clement Nwankwo, Hon. Azunna Ubali, Chídi Martins and other participants from Kaduna Polytechnic, Katsina Polytechnic, Auchi Polytechnic among others.
