It is with total disagreement and quest for further clarifications on and of what the “OKUN ECONOMIC FORUM” led by chief J. O. Yusuf stands for/represent that I bring my position and part observation of the public hearing of a bill which seek to repeal and re-enact the established laws of Kogi State University Anyigba to public domain via the online media.
For the records straight, it is an acknowledgement worthy development for his Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello to have deemed it worthwhile for the prestigious Kogi State University Anyigba to be renamed after his Excellency, late Prince Abubakar Audu, the sole establisher and first executive governor of Kogi State. However, caution must be employed in the process of carrying out this significant act of immortalization and amendment of laws in order not to plunge the state into ethnic jingoism and hatred.
According to Alexander Hamilton-“we must make the best of those ills which cannot be avoided” and in the light if this premise, Kogi is a state which although enjoys peaceful coexistence among its divided ethnics is very tantamount to ethnic disagreement and therefore requires optimum wisdom in discharging ethnic related issues. While it is right for the OKUN ECONOMIC FORUM to champion causes that will move her origin forward, it is also pertinent to mind the kind of figures cum fact to be tabulated for arguments and prayers that is of public concern.
The unreconcilable figures which it presented as the Junior/Senior staff break down of the university to support its prayers for decentralization of the university across the three senatorial districts is not only fictional but also represents the highest hallucination that could be originated to mislead an unsuspecting public. In the submission; KSU has a total of 1616 staff out of which the East has a total of 1118 staff with the central having 62 staff while it allotted 115 to West and 230 to non indigenes. The statistical figures here contradicts it’s alleged some total as mathematical summation of the 1118, 62, 115 and 230 which it opines as the staff distribution will be 1525 as against the 1616 which the group claimed as it’s total number of both junior and senior staff in the university.
Therefore, I call on his Excellency, the executive governor of Kogi State, the house committee on Education and judiciary as well as the general public to disregard the above figures which is already in circulation to draw public sympathy and supporting contributions. Relevant authorities and stakeholders must bear in mind that there is “no need for decentralization, Kogi is well and equitably distributed with higher institutions” of learning for presently; the west can boasts of Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja and College of Education Technical Kabba. The central on her part can boast of College of Nursing Obangede, Federal College of Education Okene as well as the Osara campus of Kogi State Polytechnic. The east which hosts the KSU in contention equally boast of Federal Polytechnic Idah and the College of Education Ankpa.
Hence, the priories now should be on how to standardize these institutions through partnership with the federal government (where need be) and good regulation of the state owned institutions. Moreover, there is no better time for the governor to justify his zero tolerance to anti ethnic moves than now. The said decentralization is a good idea but very uncalled for been that all the senatorial districts of Kogi State has access to no lesser than two citadels of higher learning. More so, at times like now when both the state and nation at large is been faced with financial inadequacies, government must resolve to focus on resourceful enterprises rather than policies that will require huge capital to effect.
God Bless Kogi State!!!
Written by Comr A. M. Nasir,
naadejohs@gmail.com
twitter handle: @Naadejohs
