THISDAYonline

At the inauguration of the government of Prince Audu Abubakar on May 29, 1999 at the Lokoja township stadium, one of the promises he made to the people was the establishment of a university. And of course, that promise generated heated debate on the relevance of the university among other begging developmental projects. Audu had earlier established a polytechnic at Idah during his first coming as the state governor.

At the foundation laying ceremony of the university, President Olusegun Obasanjo commended the vision and commitment of the state government in embarking on the establishment of a state university at a difficult moment.

"I am here today to encourage and motivate the government and entire people of Kogi State to remain committed to this project and ensure that the collective dream to establish this citadel of learning is actualised as one of the enduring legacies in the history of the state," Obasanjo further said.

He pointed out that his administration placed great premium on education and believes that education is the bedrock of sound national development. He stressed that quality education should be the right of every citizen of Nigeria. the President lamented at the deplorable state of education in the country, especially the tertiary sector where cultism, examination malpractice, certificate racketeering and drug abuse have eaten deep into its moral fabric.

"Our administration places great premium on education, I personally believe that education is the bedrock of a sound national development. I am convinced that basic education should be the right of every citizen of this country," he stated.

Audu, earlier in his welcome address said before now that only less than 20 per cent of the qualified sons and daughters of the state gained admission into universities in the country. He lamented that even the few that gained admission are often not offered courses of their choice for which they are qualified. He added that indigenes that constitute the core of the academic and non-academic staff of many universities in the country are often not given the full opportunity to actualise their great intellectual potentials.

Audu said it was in an effort to redress the unhealthy situation that his administration took a bold step to establish the state university, just as he informed the president that the people of Kogi State has made indelible contributions to the development of many educational institutions over the years. The establishment of the university, he further said was a realisation of the collective aspiration of the entire people of the state, describing the act as a child of necessity.

"We are profoundly grateful and indebted to you for the great honour you have done to the government and entire people of Kogi State by your distinguished presence here," Audu explained told Obasanjo.

However, as a part of its collaborative effort, nine professors from different American universities visited the institution recently. The list included Dr. Charles Okigbo, North Dakota State University, Fargo, Dr. Bruce Roberts, Associate professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Minnesota State University and Dr. Beth Virtamen-Armstrong, assistant professor of multicultural studies, Minnesota State University and Lori Horrik, North Dakota State University, Fargo.

Others were Yahya Fresrickson from Minnesota State University, Dr. Jerry Smith as well as Dr. Innocent Okechukwu, from Baltimore.

At the maiden matriculation ceremony of the university, Audu told his audience that he was very much inspired by the support the institution had continued to receive from within and outside Nigeria.

He particularly mentioned the books and other educational materials worth $2.6 million from Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States. This assistance, he said was different from the batch of computers and equipment worth $500,000 thousand which were donated by an association in the USA as well as friends of the Kogi State University.

Audu told the matriculating students that officials from the National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved and adjudged the programmes of the university as one of the best in the country. NUC, in its assessment of the institution, he said described the university as the fastest developing tertiary institution in the country.

Even Minister of Education, Professor Babalola Borishade, during one of his visits to the university was impressed by the rate and level of development of the institution that he directed the chairman of governing councils of all Federal universities to learn few lessons from the administrators of the university. He called on the students to reciprocate the good intentions of the Kogi State Government in providing them a modern university.