Kogiflame
Former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has received accolades as pioneer graduates of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi State embark on National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
With the laudable achievement, Kogi people have hailed the former Governor for his commitment to education in the state when he was the governor, and for establishing CUSTECH, a world-class citadel of learning.
Recall that during the matriculation ceremony of the first set of students, Yahaya Bello in his address stated that CUSTECH was established to solve the problems of non-access to education by some Nigerians.
According to him, the school was established to be a world-class citadel of learning to groom graduates in science and technology, even as he tasked the institutions’ management with producing quality graduates.
The then governor said his administration was greatly disturbed by the painful experiences of hundreds of Kogi youths who were unable to pursue careers in Science and Technology due to very limited openings in universities outside Kogi.
“We found that even with impressive scores in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), cutthroat competition for limited spaces and unfavourable catchment considerations usually put our children at a greater disadvantage.
“Over the years, access to such programmes as Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Architecture, Engineering and others in this category kept dwindling for Kogi secondary school leavers.
“This trend became so worrisome that we just had to act as a government to bring it to the only logical end. Problems make me combative for solutions.
“It’s my default mindset that leaders exist to find solutions to the problems of those they lead or they lose their moral authority to leadership.
“It was thus my duty and the duty of my administration to solve this particular problem too for Kogi indigenes using all the resources of the government at our disposal.” Bello said.
Speaking to Saturday Independent, an indigene of Kogi State, Mr. Mustaphar Abdullahi commended the immediate past governor for the establishment of the university and for his commitment to education.
He said that Yahaya Bello will always be remembered for his investment in education, even as he expressed confidence in the ability of Governor Usman Ododo to continue with the legacy of the former governor.
An excited Kogite noted on his X, formerly Twitter, “As our pioneer graduates embark on their national youth service corps (NYSC) journey, we extend our warmest wishes for a successful and impactful service year.
“Your hardwork, dedication and passion have brought you to this milestone and we’re immensely proud of your achievements. Go forth and make CUSTECH proud.”
