…..hails ex-governor’s unparalleled legacy in education.
The Kogi Central Journalists’ Guild has called on the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo to rename the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in honour of the former governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello.
In a press statement signed by the Guild’s National Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad Tijani Abdulsalam, and the Secretary, Mr. Ozumi Abdul, that was made available to newsmen, the Guild said such recognition would reciprocate Yahaya Bello’s unparalleled legacy in education and other key sectors that propelled the state to enviable position in the polity.
The group pointed out that the education sector was in disarray before 2016, adding that Bello’s administration convened an Education Summit in 2018 that birthed an education roadmap that led to the enactment of the 2020 Education Law.
The journalists’ group listed Bello’s achievements in education to include allocation of over 30% of the budget to education annually from 2021, surpassing the UNESCO benchmark.
The statement said “Bello’s efforts reduced out-of-school children from over 550,000 to fewer than 87,000 by 2019, while a total of 833 classrooms were renovated and 1800 new blocks were also constructed.”
The Guild stressed that the former Governor “Established model science schools, declared free education in public schools from primary to secondary level and paid WAEC, NECO and JAMB fees for students.
These efforts led to a sharp increase in students performance in national exams and culminated in the establishment of two state universities,CUSTECH, Osara in 2021 and Kogi State University, Kabba in 2023, making “Bello the only governor in Kogi’s history to achieve such a feat.”
“Renaming CUSTECH after Yahaya Bello would not only honor his vision for science and technological advancement, but will also immortalize a leader who gave the state a new identity in unity, development, and governance,” the group reiterated
“Governor Ododo has a moral and historical responsibility to recognize the man who laid the foundation for modern Kogi state.
“Renaming CUSTECH to Yahaya Adoza Bello University of Science and Technology will be a fitting tribute to a transformational leader,” the statement added.
In what it described as emulating “international best practices, seeking to galvanize individuals with a strong sense of civic responsibility to help build a society that promotes the common good and enhance quality of life for all,” a 7-man committee has been constituted to present a formal request to the Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo at the Lugard House, Lokoja to this effect.