By Eben Enasco
From the late 70s through the 80s/90s, the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), was a remedial study institute that rescued many students who couldn’t pass and obtain their O’level Certificates from their Conventional Secondary Schools before gaining admission into higher Institutions.
Before the establishment of the institution, intending students would have to travel a long distance to St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, now in Delta State, to obtain an A-level Certificate or pay through their noses to go to Cambridge University affiliate in the UK for the actualization of their educational dreams.
However, with its establishment, a huge burden was lifted off the shoulders of the parents of youths and civil servants who were eager to attain requirements for admissions into universities and other institutions of higher learning.
The school operated two sections – morning and evening sessions in the sciences, arts, commercial and social sciences with students coming from the high and the low class, from far and near, together with the upper and middle classes.
Many who are big fishes and captains of industries today, had these similar challenges while craving to build their careers.
The atmosphere around the school was highly commercialized with petty traders profiting at various levels – it was all fanfare for the surrounding secondary schools, Ihogbe and Akenzua Secondary Schools.
Some students who came from other parts of the country had to rent apartments, which in turn generated revenues for landlords around the area as their means of livelihood increased.
Obaseki as ICE’s beneficiary
In what looks like an irony of fate for ICE, current Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin who is now overseeing its death received from the institution, the education that propelled him to gain admission into the University of Ibadan, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics.
This was after he had his early education at St. Matthew’s Primary School and the Eghosa Grammar School, all in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Aside from its pathways, for preparing for and retaking examinations, ICE also had a highly structured four-year high school that prepared students for their WASC examination to pursue further education, such as the university or Polytechnic.
This section of the institute offered opportunities to adult Education seekers, especially civil servants who only got their jobs with the statutory secondary school certificates and still had the desire to study further for high school certificates.
The institute also had a window for graduates of high schools, including civil servants, seeking an opportunity to study for their Advanced level education to proceed to the university.
ICE now a shadow of itself
Around the institute, commercial activities are grounded as grasses and myriads of insects have taken over a once-busy citadel of learning.
Worse is that the institution was partitioned by Edo State Government to accommodate the Edo innovation hub which has since slid from its originality to a whirlwind that urgently requires the governor’s visitation and on-the-spot assessment if he cares.
Millions of naira were spent to create this hub, following the closure of ICE, but productivity has since waned since Ukinobo Dare, the former Edojob boss left.
When the Innovation hub first started operation, very big multinationals like Multichoice often hold training seminars in that building from where job recruitment programs such as EdoJobs operated.
When our correspondent visited the center, the managers complained of poor electricity supply. They claimed a generator set was purchased with millions of naira but can’t serve the purpose.
For more than five years now the Institute of Continuing Education, which the Governor claimed to have attended, has been closed by the same Governor. Some people could not even obtain their certificates after the closure.
Now, what happened to those who paid tuition fee? Can he bring back the years wasted after the closure?
By implication, the fate of thousands of Edo Youths who would have taken advantage of the remedial facility like Obaseki did when he could not pass his WASC in 1973, at a go has also been sealed.
With the continued closure of the institute, the opportunity for higher education by the single most important bridge that ferried many from the valley of nonentities to great achievers in their various fields of endeavor, is undoubtedly denied thousands of people in need of such opportunity.
History will be unkind to them if they stand by to watch helplessly the unprovoked and unwarranted abandonment of ICE in Edo State.
They should be challenged by the endangered future of Edo youths to speak out in no unmistakable terms against the needless suffocation of this institution, which was established to expand ties for the development of our children.
The Institute of Continuing Education ICE, Benin City, Edo State of Nigeria was once a school of excellence, an academic center managed by seasoned professionals and teachers.
The success recorded at the JAMB, NECO & WAEC local and external examinations was high partly due to the existence of the Institute.
Among the benefits, was that Edo State attained excellence in academic pursuit and attainment in Nigeria when the institute was there.
Although, at some stage in its existence, it fell into a bad time and became an all-comers’ affair.
ICE which was once an academic hub in the state became an academic prodigy center, where examination malpractice became the order of the day, attributable to the lack of oversight due to sheer neglect by successive governments.
Besides, administrators too had a field day dipping their hands in its accounts just as they reportedly committed all manners of fraud as they could not remit funds generated into the account.
A special report, first published by Alltimepost.com on April 22, 2020, titled: Tale Of ICE, Other Edo Tertiary Institutions In Time Of COVID-19 Pandemic, chronicled how Godwin Obaseki immediately shut it down when he visited the school in 2017, following alleged incidents of corruption.
More than five years after the governor took that decision, the Institute remains in ruins, rotting away, with a massive bush prevailing; air conditioners, cars, laboratory equipment, the classes and equipment worth some millions of naira are in one form of decay or the other.
When our correspondent visited the school, with horticulturists now planting and selling flowers as a means of survival, some passersby and residents shared their opinions.
Joshua Omoragbon said it was not the wisest of decisions to close the school for such a long time, calling for an urgent reawakening of the institute.
“How can you close down an institute like this my brother without alternatives? What was the Governor thinking before his action? We are surprised that after these years the school is still not reopened”, Joshua Omoragbon said.
Madam Roseline Agbonifo, a house owner and an orange seller around the school said they all struggle now to keep tide with their living conditions after the government shutdown institute.
She explained that most people are not against the decision of the governor to shut down ICE; but why shut it down without attending to the issues responsible for the decay that necessitated such action in the first place?
According to her, it is better to bring down the buildings, renovate and change the leadership structure of the institution than leave it to wear and tear.
“If people were stealing the monies, he could have used the cashless system to checkmate them.” she quipped.
She appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki to reopen the school, while lamenting the upset caused them.
But in what seems to be a beaming of light, our source gathered that the Ministry of Education led by Joan Oviawe recently visited the institute to take an estimate in an attempt for possible revival.
The source said the ministry had visited in late 2022 and early 2023 and plans are on their way to start the rebuilding process.
It is not clear whether it is ICE that will come back as a school or another plan on the pipeline, that is between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his challenging policies, it was gathered.
The expectation is to see a new ICE as a remedial study or something close to that, equipped with world-class facilities to a fault that will erase the years of absence of an institution that has produced scholars in their various endeavors.
