Education, to my mind, is the age-old responsibility of all good parents and the guardians to train their children towards a rewardship and virtuous life, so that their communities may find them useful and acceptable. It is the training of the child so that he or she acquires valuable and acceptable modes of behaviours as well as useful and apropriate skills that will serve both his or owner needs and those of his community.
Ebiraland has in the distant past, its glorious days and tremendous achievements in education. These were the time when education was hazardous to acquire. Those who wanted to become teachers went as far as to Katsina and beyond in search of their mission some others interested in other fields went to Bauch and the moor plantation in Ibandan. There was only one University in the country at that time. As small as our community was then, we were still effectively represented in all these institutions of learning.
In the professions we did not lag behind, we had our own fair share of the doctors, lawyers and administrators. At the end of the first republic when the Military created twelve (12) new states, our small community produced the first secretary tot he state Military Government and Head of Service and also a Secretary to the Federal Government and head of Service all at the same time.
These achievement were possible when the opportunities were few and almost outside of reach. In any dual position as a parent and as father of all, I am very much worried and concerned that this tendency in our youth to pursue negative and destructive ends has continued unabated regardless if the hard lessons of our present national economic depression. Our poor economic situation today makes education at any level almost inaccessible to our youths. It is therefore every disturbing that our youths whose toiling parents and guardians are making great sacrifices to keep their children at school, can afford to neglect this golden opportunity. Let us pray that these erring students will listen and change for the better.
Education, mindful of the fact that he would not be governor today but for education, Governor Yahaya Bello, has radically prioritized education and shored up the standard education in Kogi State through provision of sundry educational infrastructures. Already the governor had flagged off the construction of 240 blocks of classrooms in 80 primary schools across 21 Local Government Areas of the state under the GTB Model Primary Schools programmes.
This critical intervention is to address the astonishing level of decay trailing the criminal neglect of basic education by previous administrations in the state. Gov. Yahaya Adoza Bello had beaten his chest to build 38, familiar with the New Direction Agenda know that these ambitious proposals are not mere soap bubbles to fizzle out with the passage of time.
This critical intervention is to address the astonishing Your Excellency, Sir, as a divine blessing going
by the unprecedented development projects in "Rebuilding" the state. We pray to Allah to enrich you with good health and sound mind in your quest to take our great state to enviable level.
