By Dipo Olowookere
Two new campuses would soon be established for the Kogi State University on Lokoja – Ankpa Road, Anyigba.
This is to make the school more accessible to residents of the state, the state government has explained.
To this effect, the state Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, has approached the Kogi State Assembly with a Bill to decentralise the Kogi State University.
Once passed into law, two more campuses of the state’s flagship tertiary institution will be established.
According to the Chief of State to the Governor, Mr Edward Onoja, the reasons for this proposal are many.
He explained that at the moment, citizens of the confluence state do not have the benefit of studying any Engineering or Technology course in KSU.
Mr Onoja said each year, many otherwise qualified candidates from Kogi State have to forego their preferred courses or downgrade their study expectations and that the Bill tends to reduce the incidence of this by providing for a School of Engineering and Technology in Kogi Central.
He further said a school of Agriculture with all its economies is billed to be sited in Kogi West and this will broaden the field of manpower for agriculture in Kogi State.
However, he noted that there are no plans to move existing faculties out of the current campus except as may be required to put round pegs in round holes in view of the proposed new campuses.
Mr Onoja further said, “All the professional courses will most likely remain ‘as is’ at Anyigba Campus, namely Medical, Law, Arts, Education, Social, Humanities and Natural Sciences,” adding that the school’s headquarters would remain in Ayingba, while the Vice Chancellor and Senate will work out from there administrative wise.
However, he said the issue of funding of this project should not to trouble anyone, saying scarcity mentality has never been the characteristic of great people.
Modupe Gbadeyanka