The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki has assured of his administration’s plan to urgently revamp the facilities in the state-owned College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi, Ovia-South East Local Government Area of the state.
The governor gave the assurance after receiving the recommendations of the panel set up to investigate the state of affairs in the College, at Government House in Benin City on Monday.
He said the state government would take a decision in the next 48 hours on the revamp of the school, adding that revamping the agricultural institute is necessary to allow for the training of manpower that would key into his administration’s drive to develop the state via investments in the agricultural sector.
“The fact that we do not have a strong institution or college to help government with its developmental objectives is a thing of concern. We need this school revamped urgently to help us grow and develop middle-level man power to achieve the goals of our administration and to make our country self sufficient in food production,” Obaseki said. Earlier, the chairman of the panel and Deputy Governor of the State, Hon. Philip Shaibu, reading the findings of the panel said the institution had been grossly mismanaged both financially and administratively.
Shaibu said the panel recommended that 25 staff of the institution earlier dismissed without due process be reinstated.
He further recommended that the institution be temporarily closed down for three months to enable the state government restructure it.
The presentation of the report was swiftly followed by a tour of the institution by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, accompanied by the provost of the college, Dr. Friday Obasogie as well as top government officials.
Obaseki who was disheartened by the dilapidated facilities at the school, assured the students that urgent and quick measures would be taken to make the school a citadel of learning.
Addressing the students, the governor said the report submitted to him by the panel set up to investigate the state of the school would be acted upon.
He stressed that the actions that would be taken by government would be to the best interest of the students and the Edo people.
Speaking, the President of the Students Union Government of the school, Mr. Kenneth Emakpor commended the governor for paying an assessment visit to the school.
