A University Don and Dean of Student Affairs, Kwararafa University, Wukari, Taraba State, Dr Uzah Thomas said only Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello can put an end to the incessant strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Dr Thomas stated this on Friday in a paper he presented at the Civil Society Think Tank Round Table on a Glance into Nigeria’s Future and Governor Yahaya Bello’s Developmental Politics.
In his presentation, Thomas harped on Governor Bello’s giant strides in the education sector in Kogi to buttress his point.
According to him, Bello who is tipped by many Nigerians to run for the office of the President in 2023, upon assuming office as Kogi State Governor in 2015 ended the strike pandemic that has ravaged the university system at the state-owned university now known as Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba for years by pulling the university out of ASUU.
He also established a new specialized university – Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara.
Thomas, in his paper titled ‘Looking into the Future of Nigeria through Governor Yahaya Bello’s leadership Strides in Kogi State’, affirmed that there have been massive investment in the educational sector in the state, with a large chunk of the state budget allocated to education.
“This has consequently reflected in the revamping of schools across the state.
The quality of human resources in the state has improved tremendously by implementing a policy on training and retraining for teachers”.
He argued that “in looking at Nigeria from the Kogi State perspective before the assumption of office by Governor Yahaya Bello, it must be stated that leadership competence is what is required to take the country out of the doldrums. The agitations for zoning based on ethnicity do not stand a chance. This paper concludes that competence should be emphasized.”
Similarly, Prof Ahmed Danfulani, former Director General of National Institute for Peace and Strategy Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, said Governor Bello has set examples that should be amplified and used as a yardstick in assessing candidates that have signified interest in leading Nigeria.
“At the back of our minds, we must be clear about the qualities the next President of Nigeria should possess. This is on the heels that stepping into the shoes of President Muhammadu Buhari is a tedious task,” Danfulani said.
