The Dean of Student Affairs, Kwararafa University, Wukari, Taraba state, Dr. Uzah Thomas, has said “only the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello can put a stop to the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).”
He said this Friday in a paper he presented at the Civil Society Think Tank Round Table on a Glance into Nigeria’s Future and Governor Yahaya Bello’s Development Politics.
In his presentation, Dr. Uzah harped on Governor Bello’s giant strides in the education sector to press home his point.
Bello, who is being tipped to run for president in 2023, upon assuming office as governor in 2015, ended the strike pandemic that had delayed academic activities at the state-owned university at Anyigba for years by “pulling the university out of ASUU.”
He also established a new specialised university – Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara.
Uzah, in his paper entitled, “Looking into the Future of Nigeria through Governor Yahaya Bello’s leadership Strides in Kogi state,” indicated that, “There has been a massive investment in the education sector in the state, with a large chunk of the state budget allocated to education. This has consequently reflected in the revamping of schools across the state. The quality of human resources in the state has improved tremendously by implementing a policy on training and retraining for teachers.
“In looking at Nigeria from the Kogi state perspective before the assumption of office Governor Yahaya Bello, it must be stated that leadership competence is what is required to take the country out of the doldrums. The agitations for zoning based on ethnicity do not stand a chance. This paper concludes that competence should be emphasized.”
Also, Prof Ahmed Danfulani, a former director-general of the National Institute for Peace and Strategy Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, said Governor Bello had set examples that should be amplified and used as a yardstick in assessing candidates that have signified interest in leading Nigeria.
“At the back of our minds, let us have that we must be clear about the qualities the next President of Nigeria should possess. This is on the heels that stepping into the shoes of President Muhammadu Buhari is a tedious task,” he said.
