By Godspower Eguasa
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commissioned the Edo State College of Agriculture Iguoriakhi, describing the institution as a result-driven one, born out of his commitment and priority to deliver good governance, develop skills, and create rich opportunities for citizens and residents, within the agricultural space.
During the event which held on Monday, October 28, 2024, at the school premises in Iguorhiakhi, Ovia South West Local Government area of the State, Obaseki highlighted some of the successes achieved so far in rekindling hope among youths and residents in the State, noting that the revamped college would be a game changer in driving development in the State.
According to the Governor, “When you summarize what we have done in Edo in the last 8 years, it boils down to one word; our people. It has all been about our people, the people of Edo, particularly our young people. We had to give them hope, because when we came in 2016, they did not want to stay here; they preferred anywhere else in the world but Edo. They were traveling out in droves. At one point in 2017, we had over 30,000 young Edo boys and girls in Libya.
“You can imagine how many died just to get there. And what were they looking for? A better life; something different. If we had institutions like this that had trained them and provided them with skills, opportunities and hope, many of them would still be alive today”.
Obaseki noted that the purpose behind the reconstruction and resuscitation of the institution which was almost dead, was to renew hope in the people, and create opportunities, using the God-given resources in the State.
“I cannot think of many States or many places in the world that are as blessed as our State. We have everything; water resources, rain forests, sahara; in every area of the State, the land is fertile.
“But what has been the missing link? The missing link has been that we have been living separate lives, separate societies; government on one hand and the people on the other. And what we have tried to do is bring government to the people. You cannot have meaningful agriculture if government does not create the enabling environment for agriculture”, he said.
Obaseki added: “We decided to rebuild all our institutions; the School of Agriculture, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Technology, the College of Education, all of them, so that we can help the younger ones, imbue them with the skills they require, and set them up properly to live meaningful and gainful lives at home”.
The Governor who expressed optimism on the output of the institution, stated that vibrant and skilled graduates would be birthed from the revamped college, noting that even after his tenure, he would continue to support and collaborate with the institution.
“This school, from the state we met it when we came in 2016, have been rebuilt with facilities that at any point in time can train up to a thousand students in different specializations. Yes, the infrastructure is very modern; the infrastructure here can be compared to the ones in any university in Nigeria. But our purpose here is not to produce another set of young people with certificates; that is not the purpose.
“People have been saying; upgrade it into a university. There are too many people with too many certificates but without skills and jobs. That is not the purpose of this school. The purpose of this school is to provide opportunities and skills to anyone who has the opportunity of walking through the doors of this campus.
“It is not going to be a regular school that just produces only OND and HND graduates. It is going to be a school where the owners of farms, owners of agricultural businesses, will sit down with us, tell us what they want and we will help them train people, so that they can have a very skilled and resourceful workforce to make their productivity globally competitive”.
Obaseki added: “The last point I would like to make is that; even when I leave office, I will continue to work with this school and collaborate with this school”.
The commissioning exercise which was done by the former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion, also had other dignitaries in attendance, amongst whom were: Edo State Deputy Governor, Engr Omobayo Godwins; Edo State First Lady, Dr. Mrs. Betsy Obaseki; Edo State Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa Esq., PDP Governorship Candidate in the just concluded gubernatorial election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, other top government functionaries, as well as large scale investors within the agricultural sector.
