…Promises 24-hour electricity, roads, other infrastructure for institution, community
By Eben Enasco
Newly rebuilt Edo State College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi, Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state, will open for academic activities in September 2023 with about 2, 000 students, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki said on Tuesday.
Obaseki made this known during an interactive session with the school community and other stakeholders at the school premises in Iguoriakhi.
The governor thanked the host community, especially the youths for ensuring a peaceful and conducive environment for the contractors to do their job without distraction.
Obaseki said, “We have the administrative block, library, about three lecture theaters, one big auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,000 students, and primary healthcare center to attend to the school and community members. We also have hostels but they can’t take all the 2,000 students. The community is encouraged to build houses as students will live off campus.”
He assured that the road leading to the school will be expanded, adding, “We are investing more in facilities, bringing technology here; broadband internet connection, fibres, 24/7 electricity, among others.”
Obaseki further noted, “Electricity is key as we are trying to connect IPP to this place. It’s not cheap but we will look for money to bring light to this area as solar is no longer needed. We would put a police post here in the school if the law permits but if not, we will site it outside the school.”
He added that his administration is putting more emphasis on the quality of governance in the school to enable it to produce quality graduates who will not be a liability but an asset to society.
The governor said, “We are insisting that the faculty must be grade A; first-class faculty to ensure we produce quality graduates. The emphasis is not on certificates, as we have multinational companies partnering with us and will seat on the Council of the institution to ensure that the curriculum is designed to fit the market. This is so that by the time you are leaving the institution, you are ready for work.
“You are trained to either work with large, small estate farms or work for yourself. By September, we should open the school. We are calling on the community to be critical stakeholders in this institution from staffing to enrollment; they should be part of this project.
“The kind of school we have built is the one in which you will get a certificate and also be sure of employment or you become an employer of labour. Students will be sure of entering as well as sure of completing their studies and getting employment.”
“This school is built for the students. We want to see a situation where many students will apply as the application will commence in June this year. We will set up offices with the education secretary here in Ovia South West, as well as Benin City to get your forms,” he added.
He assured that a quota will be reserved for members of the host community who are qualified to be employed as academic and non-academic staff of the institution, noting, “If you want the school to be number one, you all must come to work after you have been employed or else, you will be sacked as we will tolerate laziness.
“The contractor has given us the assurance that in the next two months, a lot of infrastructural work will be closing up as it requires finishing touches to the building and landscaping. For us, a school like this is beyond buildings but the quality of learning, quality of the faculty being put in place, and more importantly the quality of governance of the school as more emphasis is on governance than the infrastructure of the school.”
In his response, the Iyase of Udo, HRH Patrick Ekhoeutomwen, expressed appreciation to the governor for his developmental strides in Ovia South West with the rebuilding of the College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi as it will open doors for economic development and growth in the area.
Speaking on behalf of the market women, the President, Ovia South West Market Women Association, Mrs. Elizabeth Osabuohien thanked the governor for rebuilding the school into a world-class institution, noting that the school has opened business opportunities for market women.
With the reopening of the rebuilt institution for academic activities in September, Obaseki will have fulfilled his promise of bringing the school up to desired standard.
It would be recalled that in 2018, the Edo State government axed the entire staff of the state-owned College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi in the Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state when it announced the final closure of the school.
The 37-year-old institution was established by the civilian administration of the late Ambrose Ali in 1981, closed by a successive military governor, but reopened by the Lucky Igbinedion administration in 2001. Since then, the school had been running its academic calendar, producing graduates.
The school charged with the responsibility of offering Ordinary Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Agricultural Technology, Animal Science, Crop Science, Agricultural Extension, and Management was temporarily closed in August 2017 by the Godwin Obaseki-led government with a promise to revamp the institution.
Apart from the academic qualifications offered by the institution, socioeconomic and commercial activities were abruptly brought to a halt, living the people there to go elsewhere for greener pastures. Every protest to see that the government decision was revised, fell on deaf ears.
The reason given by the governor for the closure was that the college had poor facilities and standards and needed to be revamped.
“I shut down the school to enable me to invest money and bring it up to standard. I will revamp the school so that the graduates will be employable,” the governor told a bewildered Edo people in 2017.
He said he was in talks with Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research NIFOR, and PRESCO Plc., to join hands with his administration to revamp the school, help train students and provide them with employment.
“I will provide allowance to the 261 students in the school and send them to farms for industrial training,” he had promised.
The state government in a letter signed by Monday Osaigbovo, the then Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, dated May 25, 2018, to all the staff of the institution announced the termination of their appointments.
In the letter titled, “Restructuring of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi,” the commissioner said following the restructuring of the college and subsequent closure, the government has decided to terminate their services with effect from January 31, 2018.
“You are requested to hand over all government properties in your possession to the permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources immediately.
“Furthermore, I am to add that in line with your terms of engagement, your cheque for January 2018, monthly salary with one month instead of notice is herewith attached”, he said.
The staff in a peaceful protest to the palace of the Oba of Benin said their sacking did not follow due process.
They said over 400 staff in the nominal payroll of the institution including the provost were affected by the sack.
The staff also dropped a copy of their protest letter titled, “Special letter for your intervention into the massive sack of all staff of Edo State College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi” in the State House of Assembly for onward transmission to the Speaker of the House.
They decried that there was no consultation with the staffers of the institution on the restructuring process and the option of redeployment of staff to other ministries or institutions before the massive sack letters were issued to them.
“The governor did not follow due process in relieving us of our duties and this contravenes the provisions of public service rules.
“By the record of service, majority of the staff had put up to a minimum of ten years in service while others had put in almost 20 years, and that since the governor visited the school on August 7, 2017, and its subsequent temporary closure till date, there is no evidence of any form of infrastructure or administrative restructuring by the governor as against the six months he promised during his visit”, the staff stated.
Since 2018, the restructuring process has been ongoing and looks like forever to the extent that political adversaries fed on and used it as a campaign tool against the governor, painting him as one who does not care about education.
A recent visit to the Iguoriakhi community housing the institution revealed that the reconstruction is near completion, and by the standard seen, it could look like the reason it was closed in 2017, with the new edifices now representing the beleaguered institution.
The question now remains, will Obaseki recall those who were sacked because of the restructuring?
