I have read different shades of opinion especially from young boys from Igala land on the proposed creation of multiple campuses for Kogi State University (KSU) and I feel obliged to add my thought to the discourse.
True, opinions from various agitators for and against the decentralization proposal are laced with ethnic bias. I will dwell mainly on futile arguments from folks of Igala descent.
My Igala brothers are up in arms against the noble move to create additional campuses because they feel threatened for no clear reasons.
I read a post where the uninformed young man said he is against the proposed ‘ethnicized KSU’. He was clearly economical with the truth because the current move is actually a bid to ‘unethnicize KSU’. The fact that past state governors never saw a capable hand in other parts of the state to appoint as Vice Chancellor, the fact that majority of principal officers in the university have always been from the same zone shows that past governors actually ‘ethnicized KSU’ and the current move is a welcome plan to standardize the frail institution.
Some of the not-well-informed agitators against the decentralized KSU argued that the state has no money to embark on such move. I recall that in 1999 when the then Governor Abubakar Audu moved to establish KSU, Distinguished Senator Tunde Ogbeha shouted from the roof-tops that Kogi state is not financially buoyant to establish a university. Audu ignored this practical argument, borrowed money from banks and established KSU on the premises of ADP local office in Anyigba. While former Governor Ibrahim Idris left the whole Oworo roads and other critical infrastructures in the state unattended to due to claims that they was insufficient funds, he still managed to spend huge fortunes from the state coffers to get 29 courses accredited by NUC. The agitators in this group want to be seen as unbiased but just concerned about the finances of the state. Tell them that recession will not last forever.
Some guys argued that lean state resources should be channeled towards standardizing KSU instead of creating additional campuses. Let me remind them that as at 1999/2000 when KSU was established, existing higher institutions in the state like Kogi Poly and COE Ankpa were far below standard. They were practically abandoned by Audu.
Some biased commentators claimed the state government cannot fund the proposed new campuses but failed to acknowledge the submission of someone from Kogi poly at the House of Assembly public hearing this week. The Kogi Poly man submitted that aside N5m initial take-off grant, the state government has not been funding the institution leaving it to sustain the school with proceeds from school fees. If Kogi Poly can survive, these God-ordained new campuses.
Let me take a break from these opinionated ethnic chauvinists and tackle the root cause of their uninformed arguments.
There is an urgent need to deliver Igala from ‘Igala’.
In 1999, Late Audu promised to situate the then proposed Kogi State University in Kogi West given their passionate love for education. ‘Igala’ champions mounted pressure on Audu to renege on his promise and situate KSU in Igalaland. Audu agreed.
Audu was educated by ‘Igala’ on the quota of appointments and employments to give to non-Igalas, he obliged. What was Audu’s reward for toeing their sentiment? ‘Igala’ abandoned him at his hour of need and aiding his electoral loss in 2003.
Alhaji Ibrahim Idris became Governor in 2003 after promising party leaders that power will shift after his tenure. Like Audu, Ibro was pressurized by ‘Igala’ to renege on his promise and he schemed in Jibrin Isa Echocho and later Idris Wada as his successor. ‘Igala’ is unmindful of the fact that other zones in the state will soon find it difficult to trust their brothers and sisters from the East. Creating a bad name for generations yet unborn is not of concern for ‘Igala’.
Ibro agreed to the terms of ‘Igala’ on appointments and employments. Today, how popular is Ibro in Igalaland?
Wada came on board and he agreed with same ‘Igala’ template. Despite taking actions against his conscience just to satisfy ‘Igala’, he was humiliated by same people during 2015 elections. Obviously, ‘Igala’ is insatiable. For 16 years, no single non-Igala was appointed Chairman SUBEB, Accountant General, Chief of Staff, Head of Service etc. They mount pressure on Governors of Igala descent to maintain status quo and end up consuming same Governors.
‘Igala’ can never be satisfied. ‘Igala’ have no tangible solutions to the numerous problems facing Igalaland. ‘Igala’ only want to be in power, use power to enrich a few and lord it over Igalaland. Go through Igalaland and you will be appalled by the gargantuan poverty and under-development in the area. ‘Igala’ has failed Igalaland and the good Igala people must be delivered from ‘Igala’.
…to be continued.
– Titi Balogun writes from Lokoja.
