There have been growing concern about the dwindling fortunes of education in Nigeria, particularly the incessant government ASUU face-off with its negative consequences on academic activities in the country. Our kogi state correspondent, Momoh Obansa takes a look at how Governor Yahaya Bello was able to change the scenario in Kogi.
Education is regarded as the bedrock of any development a society can crave for. It’s believed that no amount of money expended by a country or state in educating it’s populace that can be considered too much because the absence of it can be calamitous.
It’s in realisation of this important role of education, that Governor Yahaya Bello set his priority right from the very beginning as to what he wanted to achieve for the people of Kogi state. Six years down the line this concerted efforts of his administration has started bearing fruits.
The climax of this well focused attention to make the State owned higher institutions a shinning example to other states culminated into the hundred percent accreditation of courses offered in all state owned higher institutions.
At a press conference to herald the sixth convocation of Prince Abubakar Audu University formerly known as Kogi state University, Ayingba, in January this year, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mariyetu Tenuche said all the Forty-eight courses offered in the university have secured full accreditation from Nigeria universities commission making it the first time ever since the establishment of the institution.
Aside this feat of hundred percent accreditation of all courses, the Vice Chancellor also said that the institution emerged 25th out of the 170 public and private universities in Nigeria that have full accreditation for all courses offered.
The State owned Polytechnic in Lokoja also shared from the joy of full accreditation of all courses offered at the institution.
Dr Salisu Ogbo, the Rector of the institution broke the news of the achievement when he recently visited the Kogi State Commissioner of Education, Mr Wemi Jones to present the results of accreditation of all courses at the institution by NBTE
Dr. Ogbo said “I’m proud to announce that Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja achieved 100 percent success at the recent accreditation exercise conducted by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
He attributed the resounding success to Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello’s unflinching commitment to the development of education in the State.
Another regulatory body, the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) also found the two state owned colleges of Education namely College of Education Ankpa and College of Education Technical, Kabba worthy of full accreditation of the courses offered by them.
In the case of College of Education, Ankpa, the Provost, Professor Muhammed Kabiru Ibrahim said the hundred percent accreditation of all courses is the first ever in the history of the college.
The Provost disclosed that out of 32 courses presented to the National Commission of Colleges of Education all the courses got full accreditation and that the accreditation of all the courses will be valid from 2022 to 2027.
Prof. Mohammed noted that aside the accreditation of courses in the College, the National Commission for Colleges of Education looked at governance, Infrastructure in the College, expressed appreciation with what was on the ground, thus making the College to get full accreditation in terms of institutional accreditation.
He said unlike in 2012 when courses in the college were last presented for accreditation, said out of the 29 courses that was presented then, only 9 got full accreditation.
The Provost said the feat achieved by the College to enjoy full accreditation for all the 32 courses presented could not have been achieved without the support of Gov. Bello, disclosed that the Governor gave approval for the recruitment of academic staff to fill the exiting gaps.
He added further that the Governor also released money for the purchase of educational resources, in terms of books, chemicals, reagent and furniture, an action that led to the college inviting the National Commission of Colleges of Education to come for the accreditation.
The story is not different at the College of Education Technical, Kabba, 17 courses offered at the College got full accreditation in 2017 a year into Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration.
What entices the Provost of the institution, Mrs Olusola Victoria Jagboro most is the partial movement of the institution to it’s permanent site.
According to her, the state government under Governor Yahaya Bello has completed 10 buildings at the permanent site now and
one big bus also given.
Worried by the gap created by the number of Kogi indigenes seeking admission yearly and the number that got admitted, Governor Yahaya Bello established the Confluence University of Science and Technology, (CUSTECH), Osara in year 2020 and appointed a renowned Engineer and academic per Excellence, Professor Sadiku Salawu as the Vice Chancellor
Barely, two years of existence, the university is a growing concern and has bridged the gap for Kogi indigenes seeking admission and even admission seekers from neighbouring states.
The university currently has three faculties with nineteen courses running and all duly approved by Nigeria Universities Commission.
In looking at the attention of Governor Yahaya Bello to health training institutions, the two in the state namely, School of Health Technology, idah and College of Nursing, Obangede were highly favored.
The School of Health Science and Technology, Idah came alive owing to the support given to the institution by Governor Bello’s administration.
The College secured full accreditation of four out of its five programmes for the first time since its establishment about 43 years ago.
The Provost, Dr Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu, who stated this in a statement, said the college received the letter for the full accreditation from the Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) on Thursday, that four of the five departments in the college had been fully accredited.
Anyegwu said the fully accredited programmes are; Health Information Management Department (5 years), Community Health Department (4 years) and Medical Laboratory Department (5 years).
The Pharmacy Technician Department has already been granted approval to enlist students while initial provisional accreditation status was being awaited, he added.
He added that the remaining programme, which is the School of Environmental Health, was awaiting approval by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) accreditation.
The provost expressed his appreciation to the visitor, Governor Yahaya Bello, for his contributions and special attention to the college
In telling the story of Kogi state College of Nursing, Obangede, the Provost of the institution, Mrs Hannah Abraham said that the College under Governor Yahaya Bello got full accreditation in 2018
According to her, the accreditation will last for five years before the regulatory agency would visit the College again.
Mrs Abraham praised Governor Bello’s administration for the infrastructural transformation of the college that made it to scale the accreditation hurdles
Aside accreditations of courses, one other big achievement of Governor Bello on the educational sector is academic stability.
In Kogi state, a student can tell his/her year of graduation, the very day he/she gained admission into any state owned higher institutions of learning.
Upon assumption of office, the government inherited the incessant strike actions by academic and non academic Unions in the tertiary institutions. To make matter worst some of such actions were sympathy strikes embarked upon by the Unions in solidarity with their national bodies over issues that have no bearing on the state owned institutions.
To mitigate this disaster being visited on the innocent students, the Governor was left with no other option than to issue a proclamation banning all Union activities in July, 2017.
Yes, there were initial pains from the banning of union activities in schools but the gains now far outweigh whatever pains as students from Kogi State owned institutions graduate in record time.
This has made higher institutions in the state the much sought after as students from even neighbouring states jostle to gain admission in the State owned institutions because they are sure of graduating in record time.