Dr. Steve Odey is the state chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Cross River state. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks on why it is near impossible for Governor Ben Ayade to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues
Cross River state has distinguished itself as a blossoming state. What is the secret behind these strides?
The governor is very proactive, he is very innovative, he is very intelligent, he is a goal getter and he is a man that wants things to happen. He does not share money like politicians, the way it used to happen. Money is for projects, the little that we have we put into projects. Even last month he had zero allocation but if you go to Cross River, you will see construction work going on here and there. Don’t forget that I am in the education sector where there is no money but the man was able to give me 3.8 billion naira counterpart funding for the state that was left un accessed four years before he came into office. So you can see how innovative the man is. He is the digital governor of Cross River State. So everything that we are doing is digitalised. We are making progress because the man on top, the man on the driving seat is very innovative,
Sir, how impressive is school enrollment in the state?
Very impressive, Cross Riverians are people that don’t joke with education they like education so we cannot compromise education for anything. That is why there is massive infrastructural development in the basic education sector in particular to see that every child that goes to school has a place to study and learn conductively. That is what the government is out to achieve.
What are the major challenges you face in the education sector?
One of the major challenges is fallen standard of education which we have tried to address aggressively. We have the issue of ghost teachers and ghost workers. Teachers that came into our employment list but came in with fake certificates, we are trying to weed them out. We have uncovered up to 250 teachers with fake certificates. There are issues to ghost workers which as I talk with you, we have embarked on the biometrics of all the teachers in all the local councils in Cross River State. It is very tasking but we must get the place sanitized.
Do you have plans of employing new teachers into the state school system?
Of course, the governor just gave me approval to employ 1,000 teachers. For over 10, 15 years now there has not been any employment of teachers. But the governor knows that no matter the fantastic infrastructure you put in place, what of those to deliver the goods, they are teachers, you must have quality teachers. In my own case, I am not just recruiting teachers; I have subjected them to aptitude test which was done across the 18 local governments. We have just finished marking, the next stage is oral interview, then we will verify their certificates, to ascertain that you a competent teachers. The stage is very herculean and tasking so that by the time we give you your employment letter, people will know that you are a material.
Governor Ayade is one of the governors that the APC is desperately trying to capture. Do you see the governor dumping the PDP?
Why will he change from the PDP and leave the PDP for whom? The governor is in the opposition in the state, PDP is not at the federal level. People should not expect the governor to go and start fighting President Buhari when he has a lot to do for the Cross Riverians. This is a man that has brought about super highway; this is a man that has brought about deep sea port, all federal projects. He needs their assistance he needs the collaboration of the federal government. Should he antagonize the president because he is a PDP member? Don’t forget that the governor is refined, he is a professor, a lawyer, and he does not practice gangsterism. He does not play the kind of politics that people play. I am asking, because you are in the opposition you should start fighting your president? The president is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
You have won several awards since your appointment as SUBEC Chairman, what is the secret?
Well, performance is not hidden, you can see everywhere, everybody feels my impact, and even the blind can see what we are doing in Cross River state. And so if the people say that they want to honour you, you will be motivated to do more.
Should he antagonise the president because he is a PDP member? Don’t forget that the governor is refined, he is a professor, a lawyer and he does not play the kind of politics that people play.