The glory dome and good reputation of Kogi State University, which was once the 3rd best state university in Nigeria is drastically drowning as one part, which can be used to represent the whole image of the institution has become a bait in the hands of wolves in sheep clothing.
Kogi State University was established based on integrity of service, transparency, team spirit, proper ethical principles and commitment during the administration of Late Prince Abubakar Audu, (the former governor of the state) in 1999, is gradually losing her value due to the negligence and greed of one of her vital parts, which has contributed to the low ranking of the institution among other institutions in Nigeria.
Over the years, Kogi State University has built a good and admirable image for herself and it has also been clearly spelt out in the institution’s vision that the institution shall be a highly reputable institution genuinely committed to impacting knowledge, learning, scholarship and skills to all men and women in order to equip them to confront and control the challenges of the next centuries.
Not only that, the aspiration of the institution is to maintain and sustain the university as an apex institution through accountability, consultative, innovative, purposeful, team-based, result-oriented and transparent leadership and management to constantly utilized existing knowledge and generate new ones.
In spite of all these beautiful vision, which the institution has been treading upon, it has been observed in recent times that wolves in sheep clothing are invading the peace of the institution’s material and human resources (students and lecturers).
Subsequently, negligence, unpatriotic and greedy attitude of the institution’s security personnel has allowed fifty Naira (#50) as a bait to grant access for birds of wolves in sheep clothing to fly into the institution’s environment, which in turn resulted to insecurity, killings of students, thefts and threats to the lives and properties of the institution.
It be recalled in the past that when the security unit of the institution was really managed based on accountability, integrity and transparent leadership as stated in the institution’s vision, the rate of crime such as thuggery, cultism, thefts and killings within the school campus is so minimal to be noticed but in recent time, those criminal acts has become more popular than some departments in the institution.
This is due to the fact that, the dog whose duty is to watch and raise alarm against anything contrary to the institution’s vision and mission, has been muted and made asleep through financial baits of #50.
Revisiting the institution’s vision, it was clearly stated that the institution shall use first and state of the art facilities, highly motivated staff and students working in an atmosphere of academic freedom and security to transform the university into a world class center.
With the recent records of killings of students by unknown group of people, can we really say that this vision will be achieved? If security as one of the basic needs of every human being is out of place, then the viability and usefulness of every other acquired needs is at stake.
Records have shown that the institution is hosting the lives of over twenty three thousand students and over three hundred lecturers, including millions of properties for the acquisition of academic excellence. This shows that the institution is really working hard in order to achieve her vision but the question is, are those lives and properties safe in the midst of unsecured environment which was caused by #50? This question was raised due to the fact that students and lecturers of the institution cannot longer judiciously utilize the usefulness of the institution’s environment anytime they wish to.
It’s obvious that the current economic problems of the state is unbearable and the security personnel of the institution needs supplement to keep their soul and body together, in order to be active during duty but the supplement should not be to the detriment of the lives and properties of the institution, because, no amount of money (not even the #50 extorted from un identified bike men that gives access to wolves in sheep clothing to enter the school environment) is worth any student’s life.
Giving access to unidentified bike men all in the name of #50 is really a bad act, which is contrary to the institution’s vision. Not only that, this act has become an avenue to blackmail the good reputation that the institution built overtime.
There are many birds flying in the sky, once access is given and something contrary to the institution’s vision happens, it would be very difficult to know which of the birds that belched on the earth.
Some of the core values of Kogi State University, which are expected to be maintained are; integrity, by paying attention to the highest ethical standards in all areas, dedication by commitments to uncompromising work, ethic and critical issues of development of the state, the Nation and the world at large.
With the security challenges bedeviling the vision and mission of the institution, is there any hope that the pride of these values will be maintained?
If Kogi state university must achieve her vision and mission through a team spirit, then, the need to checkmate the activities of the security personnel becomes important. Therefore, in an institution with good vision and mission like this, once a part of it is malfunctioning due to negligence and greediness, it will definitively affect the activities, performances and good reputations of other parts of the institution.
– Ozovehe Moses, 400L student of Mass Communication, KSU.
