Edo PDP, Obaseki Bicker Over Alleged Failed Promises On Education

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Edo State Government were on Sunday locked in a hot exchange of words over what the opposition party described as Governor Godwin Obaseki’s failed promises in the education sector.

Noting the failure of the government to meet its deadline on reopening the College of Education, Iguoriaki, for over a year, the PDP said the administration has no policy on education and exhibiting a pattern strange to governance.

The party’s accusations were immediately rebuffed by the government which accused the Edo PDP spokesman, Chris Nehikhare of lacking understanding of the government’s education reforms. He referred him to signposts of the administration’s education reforms including the Edo State Polytechnic Usen and the College of Education, Abudu.

Nehikhare in his statement had said:

“On 8th August 2017, Governor Obaseki announced that he was temporarily closing down the College of Agriculture, Iguoriaki,  for a  3 month period. He promised to restructure and revamp the college to a world class institution. He set himself a time frame.

“Nine months later on 25th May, 2018, Governor Obaseki dispatched SACK letters to all the staff, academic and non-academic, reason been that their services were no longer required even though the students were just two weeks away from their final examinations. He employed the services of security agencies to chase everybody from the vicinity of the school. Their sack was backdated to January 31st 2018. The governor behaved Ignobly!

“In a most brazen, uncreative and in-your-face manner, the governor manufactured alternative facts about paying off the staff and sending students on internship with Presco, Okomu and even Leventis! ( Leventis has been comatose for decades).

“It’s been two years since the “temporary” order of close down, College of Agriculture, Iguoriaki is worse-off today than it was in 2017. It is immersed in multiple court cases at the industrial court!

While noting that school property have been vandalized in the period of the closure, the PDP said:

“It is obvious the government had no education policy in place especially as it affects the college of agriculture, Iguoriaki. The knee jerk reaction that led to its closure has affected the lives of many students who are now in educational limbo!

“We call on the state government to as a matter of urgency retrace its steps and stop been economical with facts regarding the status of college of agriculture, Iguoriaki and the other campuses!

“Governor Obaseki is exhibiting a pattern that is strange to governance and he must be stopped.

“A government cannot make thousand of promises but deliver same number of excuses!”

Responding, Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, reiterated that the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, is set to run a tri-campus system with ongoing revamp, allaying fears that the school has been closed down.

“In a statement, Osagie explained that Nehikhare, does not understand the core pillars of the education reforms embarked upon by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration.

According to him, “We are committed to ensuring that our institutions  of higher learning have the requisite structures, both human and physical to train students who can compete with their peers anywhere in the world. 

“The College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, was no where near the mark as the institution was in a state of disrepair with potential danger posed to the lives of the students as a result of failing infrastructure and had to be shutdown to make room for a holistic overhaul.”

Noting that there are models for the kind of revamp Obaseki intends for the school across the state, the governor’s aide said, “A visit to the Edo State Polytechnic Usen, today and the College of Education in Abudu will provide the needed insight into how the governor’s mind works with regard to how institutions of higher learning should be administered in the state. 

“The Benin Science and Technical College, formerly Benin Technical College is yet another classical example of education reform. 

“College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi is set  to enjoy similar top class administration and for the sake of emphasis, the state government has since completed the paperwork and design for a tri-campus college system for the college of agriculture, which will now be renamed as College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, with campuses in the state’s three senatorial districts.”

On the tri-campus system planned for the college, he said, “While Iguoriakhi will host the School of Agricultural Technology and Engineering; the School of Aquaculture and Marine Technology will replace the former College of Agriculture Technology in Agenebode and a new School of Forestry and Environmental Technology, will be at Uromi.”

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