The Bauchi State Government has rebutted recent insinuations suggesting that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed condemned Western education and encouraged youths in the state to abandon it for other endeavours.
In a response titled: “Rebuttal Against Distorted Media on the Position of Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on the Value of Western Education,” the government dismissed the reports as mere fabrications that are far from the truth.
The State Commissioner of Information and Communication, Usman Shehu Usman, who signed the rebuttal, stated, “The attention of the Bauchi State Government has been drawn to a media publication making rounds, where the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, was mischievously quoted during a public gathering when he hosted groups of youths some time ago.”
He explained, “His Excellency, while addressing the youths, admonished them to acquire skills and urged them to identify problems in their society and provide meaningful solutions. By doing so, they stand a chance to combat poverty, unemployment, and restiveness.”
The Commissioner added, “Some media outlets deliberately distorted their reports, falsely claiming that His Excellency rubbished Western education and instead encouraged youths to pursue careers in driving. From a common-sense perspective, this is clearly a calculated attempt to tarnish Governor Bala Mohammed’s image and portray him in a bad light among the good people of Bauchi State.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency, the Governor, has never discredited Western education. The fact remains that he comes from a family that not only values Western education but has also played a key role in promoting it, as evidenced by his father’s career as a renowned headmaster,” he added.
Usman Shehu Usman further stated, “The Governor is deeply passionate about education, and his substantial investment in the sector reinforces his commitment. In fact, education is among his transformative agenda.”
According to him, “The key message emphasised by His Excellency during that occasion was the encouragement of youths not to merely rely on formal education, as that alone is insufficient in today’s world. Instead, they should strive to acquire various skills to supplement their daily lives.”
The Commissioner also pointed out that on Senator Bala Mohammed’s inauguration day in 2019, he highlighted his government’s determination to prioritise and foster education for Bauchi State’s children by immediately declaring a state of emergency in three key sectors, including education.
He added, “As part of his administration’s commitment to education, he has consistently allocated the lion’s share of the state budget to education, exceeding the UNESCO benchmark. Furthermore, his administration has constructed, reconstructed, and rehabilitated over 5,000 classroom blocks. The investment made in education by this administration is immeasurable within the few years of its existence.”
“As a government, we believe we should not have lowered ourselves to respond to these inconsequential and baseless claims against a Governor who has spent over N17 billion on education. This is a Governor whose administration has consistently covered the costs of WAEC, NECO, and JAMB fees,” he stressed.
He further stated, “It is well known that this government has increased scholarship payments to nearly a billion—N945 million. We urge the good people of Bauchi State to continue supporting the Bala Mohammed administration to propel our dear state to greater heights, as envisioned in the #MyBauchi Project of His Excellency.”
The Commissioner also urged the media to prioritise accuracy in their reporting and engage in constructive criticism for the development of Bauchi State.
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