By Ayodele Oni
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, now at the tail end of his eight years administration of the State, has awarded himself a pass mark. He said he came, saw, and will be leaving the State better than he met it.
Bello stated this at the fourth Convocation ceremony of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, for 10 sets of graduating students from 2013 to 2022.
Bello said part of his achievements is evident in the repositioning of Kogi Polytechnic and other State- owned tertiary institutions.
“My achievements can be attested to, by where the State Polytechnic was before my assumption of office, where it is now and how we have repositioned it for the future.
”We have taken time to look into the education sector for the benefit of our people; we made education a top priority in our thematic agenda.
“We did not only improve on the infrastructure and learning in our tertiary institutions, but also expanded our educational institution through the establishments of two additional universities.
“This will enable our children not to travel far to seek for knowledge within four years of our second term administration.
“By 16th January 2024, the first set of students would be matriculated at the newly-established Kogi State University, Kabba.”
Bello, the visitor to the polytechnic, thanked the Chairman of the Governing Council, Staff, and Students of the Polytechnic for the cooperation his administration enjoyed.
The governor eulogized the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Salisu Ogbo, for his outstanding achievements, which had made the Polytechnic an of envy among others, saying it is worthy of emulation across the world.
”To the Rector, I say I’m proud of you. I’m indeed very proud of you. and I will forever be proud of you.”
The governor commended TETFUND and other donors and financial agencies for their contributions to the repositioning of the Polytechnic.
Earlier, the Rector praised the governor for his unflinching support towards the successes recorded, describing his appointment as a rare privilege, and thanked the governor for finding him worthy to serve.
Ogbo said he was able to use his three “RRRs” agenda of Repair, Reform and Restore, to return the lost glory of the Polytechnic to one of envy.
“The Polytechnic now prides itself as an institution committed to graduating students who are employers of labour in the country.
“A total of 145 students are graduating with Distinction at the National Diploma (ND) level, while 104 students are graduating with Distinction at Higher National Diploma (HND) level from various Schools and Departments.
“A total of 7,653 students are graduating with National Diploma while 4,427 students are graduating with Higher National Diploma.”
On his part, the institution’s Governing Council Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Isa, said the council would continue to support the Polytechnic to prioritize academic and personal development of students,
Isa promised that the Polytechnic would strive to provide the needed tools and resources for students to continue to succeed.
