Recently, the entire media have been engulfed with a lot of commentaries on condemnation and disapproval by the majority of people within and outside the state on the planed agenda by the Jigawa State House of Assembly to amend or abolish the 2% LG contribution which is allocated to the state varsity; Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa.
One important step the house should have taken before the move to amend or abolish the said percentage is for the house to assign the appropriation committee to make findings whether that amount (2%) is complete remitted or not to the university first before making any move to amend or abolish the law governing the payment of that stipend. (2% of the total monthly allocation by the LG)
Secondly, the house should have put into cognizance is, before the 2% was agreed and signed into law in the state in 2013, was there an implementation committee which went round the country to get information to arrived at the decision. But a sudden change in the policy by Governor Badaru, having spent almost six years with the policy in place call for interrogation and the genuineness of the graduate Governor is in doubt as claimed to be a graduate Governor.
As the governor said, he is a graduate, yes of course you must go to the university before you became a graduate and when you become a graduate you should allow the university to go through you. Because he who doesn’t allow the university to go through him, he will never value the importance of the university.
I agree with Samuel M. Lindsay, who once said “The quality of education and the level of educational attainment of a people determine the quality of its leaders and people”
Also, since governor Badaru is an entrepreneur, Sule Lamido university is the best source of generating revenue to the state. To proof what am saying, go to Nasarawa state or Keffi state, they make over 4 billion naira annually because of the courses that are in place (operating) most especially the post graduate courses but in Jigawa since the courses introduced by the previous administration in two years, this present administration under the leadership of governor Abubakar Badaru in it’s six years in power now has not introduce a single course not to talk of post graduate courses. What a graduate governor!
One thing to note is, despite massive revenue Nasarawa state university generates, still it gets or receives the local government intervention fund.
Also, there was a time when the state government made a move to stop giving the local government intervention fund to the university, the national body of ASUU threatened the Nasarawa state government that they will go on strike if they dare to stop or withdraw the local government intervention fund. Not to talk of Sule Lamido university which lacks revenue generation avenues, no more courses (post graduates) to attract more non indigenous students to patronise the varsity despite the advantages the university has more than any northern universities in the region which is security, peaceful coexistence and free crime state. Alhamdulillah (We thank God Almighty)
Almost, all the visiting lecturers at Sule Lamido university Kafin-Hausa use to make a confession that, they find the varsity (SLU KH) likeable, enjoyable and feel at home and go to their work freely and more comfortable than many others places (universities) they use to visit because of security, conducive teaching and learning environment and the facilities in place. To God be the glory. Thank you Sule Lamido.
In Nigeria, it was only Sule Lamido that cleared a virgin land in Jigawa and put a university in place and operational in short period (2 years time) and SLU is one of the best universities in west African states. Once again thank you Sule Lamido.
With this present move by Jigawa executives/legislatives how can we harvest the critical/creative minds necessary to manage the democratic process if we do not invest in human capital development? Or compete in the globalized world of the twenty fifth century; if Jigawa does not face its education development seriously, then there is a lot that is wrong with state and we pay for the consequences in future. God forbid.
To revive and promote the educational sector in order to help in building the individuals to be able to assist the process of developing the society, government should make sure the children of the poor are supported.
In this regard, if Jigawa state government continue with its plan to abolish or transfer the state account, I can now agree with other peoples view that, government is largely responsible for the falling standard of education; because the way they change policies/laws concerning education so frequently.
At this juncture, I will appeal to his Excellency Alhaji Abubakar Badaru Talamis to see reason to allow Sule Lamido university be. Let give peace, harmony, happiness of the downtown and educational sector a chance to flourish and let the university continue to receive the local government intervention fund of 2% not to be transferred to the state account because of fear of absconding among others.
Adamu is Media aide to Dr. Sule Lamido (CON)
