By Tokunbo2

Copyright thesun

From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, has revealed that the love of education and the utmost desire to make Kogi State a hub of knowledge and its citizens the most sought-after professionals in the country and beyond made the state government establish three state universities.

Fanwo, while making this revelation at the newly established state university, Kabba, said the state government, in spite of having six tertiary institutions, went ahead to successfully establish two other state universities in Osara and Kabba within two years in quick succession.

He said the three universities—namely, Prince Abubakar University, Anyigba, Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, and Kogi State University, Kabba—were established in the three senatorial districts so as to make Kogi a hub of knowledge and to bring tertiary education to the doorstep of the citizens.

Fanwo, who conducted newsmen round projects at the less than two years old state university Kabba, expressed satisfaction by what he saw and said Governor Usman Ododo’s commitment to education has yielded remarkable results, saying the university’s transformation was evident, with quality roads and standard building infrastructure being constructed.

Fanwo, who called on youths in the state to take advantage of these tertiary institutions, lauded Governor Ododo’s huge investment in education and said his unwavering commitment has put cynics to shame who doubted that the state would not be able to raise three universities simultaneously.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Temitope Eniola, who conducted journalists round ongoing projects in the campus, said the area was a thick forest three years ago but now a beautiful campus, describing it as one of the fastest-growing universities in Nigeria.

The projects inspected during the visit include a completed administrative building, an ongoing Senate building, male and female hostels, and renovations at the Mass Communication and Theatre Arts departments.

Earlier, the state commissioner for information, while speaking with newsmen in Mopa, said the state government has made deliberate efforts to draw rural communities in the state closer to the government through siting of accessible feeder roads and socio-infrastructural development in their domains.

Fanwo, while speaking at one of the constructed roads in Mopa town in Mopa-Muro Local Government Area of the state, said Ododo has given marching orders to the Kogi State Road Maintenance Agency (KOGROMA) to construct feeder roads in all the 21 local government areas in the state.

The commissioner told journalists that the era of sitting down to tell the success story was gone, hence the need to showcase directly what Governor Ododo has been able to do for the people, especially in rural communities.

He said that the concentration of the projects being shown to journalists are in rural areas where government’s presence is greatly inadequate.

“It is the policy of the present administration to take development to rural communities to enable the people down to the grassroots feel the impacts of good governance,” Fanwo said.

He appealed to the people of the state to imbibe the spirit of maintenance culture of government facilities and protect them against vandalisation.

Meanwhile, in the health sector, the government has begun remodelling 256 primary healthcare facilities across the state. During an inspection of the Iletu-Mopa Primary Healthcare Centre, Fanwo said the administration places high priority on citizens’ health.

“Before now, this facility was in shambles. People who came in with malaria risked leaving with typhoid fever. But Governor Ododo has overhauled the state’s health system. What you are seeing here is being replicated in all 21 local government areas,” Fanwo said.

He noted that the initiative will significantly reduce maternal mortality rates and improve healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

Journalists were also conducted round some projects embarked upon in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area which include a remodelled secondary school in Okebukun, some health facilities and a rehabilitation of a deep gully erosion at Amukodo, Kabba.