An Appeal to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo
Executive Governor of Kogi State
Education remains one of the most powerful instruments for transforming society, empowering young people, reducing poverty, and preparing future generations for leadership and meaningful participation in the development of the state.
It is against this background that I respectfully draw the attention of His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, Executive Governor of Kogi State, to a matter of urgent importance: the need for the establishment of a higher institution or satellite campus in Okene Local Government Area, preferably along the Okene–Ajaokuta Road.
OKENE AND THE QUESTION OF EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
Kogi Central Senatorial District has witnessed the establishment of several important tertiary institutions. However, a striking imbalance remains in the geographical distribution of these institutions.
Institutions such as the Federal College of Education, CUSTECH, School of Engineering, Kogi State Polytechnic and other tertiary institutions around Osara, as well as the College of Nursing and Midwifery at Obangede, are located outside Okene Local Government Area.
While these institutions are serving the people of Kogi State and beyond, the situation raises an important question:
How can Okene, the headquarters of Ebiraland and one of the major population and commercial centres in Kogi Central, have no higher institution of its own?
This is not merely a political question. It is fundamentally a question of educational accessibility, equity, youth development, cultural preservation, and balanced regional growth.
A SATELLITE CAMPUS IN OKENE
I therefore respectfully appeal to His Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, to consider approving the establishment of a satellite campus of an existing state-owned tertiary institution in Okene, with suitable land along the Okene–Ajaokuta Road designated for the project.
The proposed campus could begin modestly with carefully selected programmes and expand gradually as enrolment and infrastructure grow.
Among the programmes that could be considered are:
- Fine Arts and Creative Arts
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Environmental Studies
Technical and Vocational Education - Entrepreneurship Development
- Information and Communication Technology
- Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training
- Ebira Language and Cultural Studies
A dedicated College of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship could also be incorporated into the project to equip young people with practical skills that can translate directly into employment and self-employment.
PRESERVING THE EBIRA LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
There is another compelling reason why Okene deserves a higher institution: the preservation and promotion of the Ebira language.
The Ebira language is an important part of the identity, history, and cultural heritage of the people of Ebiraland. Unfortunately, its use and value among some younger generations are increasingly being challenged by the dominance of English and other widely spoken languages.
A language that is not deliberately preserved, taught, researched, and documented can gradually lose its relevance among future generations.
This is why the establishment of a higher institution in Okene presents an opportunity to do something historic.
The proposed institution should consider introducing Ebira Language as a full academic course, either as a standalone programme, a department, or as part of a broader Department of Nigerian Languages and Cultural Studies.
Courses in Ebira could cover:
- Ebira Language and Literature
- Ebira Oral Tradition
- Ebira History and Culture
- Ebira Folklore
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Translation and Interpretation
- Documentation and Preservation of Indigenous Languages
Comparative Nigerian Languages - Cultural Heritage and Community Development
Such a programme would create an academic environment where our language can be studied, documented, researched, written, taught, and preserved for generations yet unborn.
We must understand that preserving Ebira is not about rejecting other languages. It is about ensuring that while our children learn English and other international and Nigerian languages, they also understand and appreciate the language and cultural heritage of their ancestors.
If our institutions of higher learning do not take deliberate steps to preserve indigenous languages, we may wake up one day to discover that our children can speak many languages but can no longer communicate fluently in their own.
Ebira language deserves a place in the classroom, in academic research, and in our institutions of higher learning.
This should, therefore, be one of the priorities of any tertiary institution established in Okene.
WHY THE AJAOKUTA ROAD AXIS?
The proposed location along the Okene–Ajaokuta Road deserves serious consideration because it provides an opportunity to develop a modern educational corridor with adequate room for expansion.
Rather than waiting until existing urban areas become congested, government can acquire and develop suitable land in this axis and create a properly planned educational environment comprising lecture halls, workshops, laboratories, libraries, staff offices, hostels and other supporting infrastructure.
Such a development could eventually stimulate housing, transportation, commerce, and other economic activities around the area.
A POLICE ACADEMY OR ARMY COLLEGE FOR OKENE
In addition to a satellite campus, I also respectfully call on the Kogi State Government, through the appropriate ministries and agencies, to explore discussions with the Federal Government and relevant security authorities on the possibility of establishing either a Police Academy, Police Training Institution, Army College or another specialised security-training institution in Okene.
Okene’s strategic location and connection to major parts of Kogi State and neighbouring states make it worthy of consideration for such an institution.
Beyond providing education, such an institution would create opportunities for employment, skills development, infrastructural expansion, and economic activities.
KADUNA AS A CASE STUDY
Kaduna provides an instructive example of how multiple educational institutions and campuses can contribute to the development of a city and its surrounding communities.
The lesson is simple:
The closer education is brought to the people, the greater the opportunity for young people to participate in it.
Many young people from Okene and surrounding communities travel considerable distances to access tertiary education. Some families can not afford the cost of accommodation, transportation, and other expenses associated with studying far from home.
Establishing a higher institution or satellite campus in Okene would, therefore, make tertiary education more accessible to thousands of young people.
EDUCATION, CULTURE, AND HUMAN CAPITAL
The government should not see the establishment of a tertiary institution merely as the construction of buildings.
It is an investment in human capital, culture, and the future.
A higher institution in Okene can become a centre for:
Education + Skills + Research + Entrepreneurship + Culture + Innovation.
It can train young people, preserve indigenous knowledge, promote the Ebira language, encourage research into our history and culture, and provide the practical skills required for modern economic development.
Most importantly, the younger generation will develop greater interest in education when quality institutions are brought closer to them.
A CALL TO HIS EXCELLENCY
Your Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, history will remember governments not only for the roads they constructed and buildings they commissioned, but also for the opportunities they created for the next generation.
The people of Okene are not asking for preferential treatment. We are asking for fair consideration, educational inclusion, cultural preservation, and balanced development.
We respectfully urge Your Excellency to:
- Approve the establishment of a satellite campus of a state-owned tertiary institution in Okene LGA.
- Consider the Okene–Ajaokuta Road axis as a strategic location for the proposed campus.
- Introduce programmes such as fine arts, urban and regional planning, environmental studies, and other relevant disciplines.
- Establish a College of Skills Acquisition, Technical and Vocational Education.
- Introduce Ebira Language and Cultural Studies as an academic programme or course of study.
- Support research, documentation, and preservation of the Ebira language, history, and cultural heritage.
- Initiate discussions with the federal government and relevant security agencies on the possibility of establishing a Police Academy, Police Training Institution or Army College in Okene.
- Constitute a technical committee to study the feasibility, land requirements, and phased development of the proposed educational projects.
CONCLUSION
Okene is ready.
Our young people are ready.
Our communities are ready.
What is needed is governmental vision, political will, and purposeful action.
If education is truly the foundation of development, then bringing higher education closer to the people of Okene is not a luxury—it is a necessity.
And if culture is the soul of a people, then preserving the Ebira language must be regarded as a responsibility to future generations.
Okene LGA deserves a higher institution.
Kogi Central deserves balanced educational development.
Ebira language deserves to be taught, researched, and preserved.
Our young people deserve the opportunity to study, acquire skills, understand their heritage, and build their future from home.
I therefore respectfully appeal to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, to make this cause a priority and give the people of Okene a lasting educational and cultural legacy.
Education closer to the people means opportunity closer to the people.
And preserving our language today means preserving our identity for tomorrow.
– Comrade Abduljelil Adabara El-Okene
Senior Citizen, Okene LGA
