The Kwara South Consultative Forum, a sociocultural and non-political organisation comprising all indigenes of Kwara South senatorial district in Kwara state, has urged the state government to establish the proposed Kwara State University of Education in the area in the interest of fairness, justice, and equity.
Addressing journalists at the national secretariat of the organization in Ile Igbomina, Ilorin, on Thursday, the president of the group, Joseph Aderibigbe, stated that the proposed institution should be located in Oro town, Irepodun local government area, where the first and oldest college of education owned by the state government is situated.
It is noteworthy that the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), a sociocultural organization of Ilorin indigenes, had recently requested the state government to place the proposed institution in Ilorin, the state capital.
In the speech read by the secretary-general of the Kwara South group, Engineer Otunba Adebayo Daramola, the people described the IEDPU’s demand as “nothing more than greed and selfishness.”
They added that the state capital currently hosts several government-owned tertiary institutions, including the Kwara State Polytechnic, College of Education, College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), University of Ilorin, KWASU Campus, Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), and School of Nursing.
“Other reasons why the proposed University of Education should be sited in Kwara South district, particularly in the College of Education, Oro, and not in Ilorin is that Kwara South has invested heavily in the establishment of secondary schools by communities and religious bodies in virtually all the communities in Kwara South.
“It is on record that the first community secondary school in Kwara state and indeed the whole of Northern Nigeria was established in Kwara state, specifically, Offa Grammar School, founded as far back as 1943 followed by other communities, including Oro, which founded Oro Grammar School in 1958.
This pioneering effort and heavy investments should be rewarded by siting the proposed Kwara State University of Education in Oro.
READ ALSO: Kwara students want inclusion in palliative distribution
“The College of Education, Oro, owned by the State Government was proposed in 1974 and took off in 1978 as the College of Education, Oro-Ilorin before it finally moved to Oro in 1981. The College was established vide Edict No.2 of 1978. This is the fact contrary to the distortion of history being peddled in some quarters. It has the most stable academic calendar and environment. It is the only College of Education among its peers in Kwara state that has not gone on strike in the past six/seven years.
“College of Education, Oro is the only institution of its status with the largest number of functional infrastructural facilities. The College has over 60 buildings and offices serving as modern lecture rooms, theaters, and halls conducive to supporting learning and teaching activities.
“Availability of laboratories and an upgraded library. The college has Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Agriculture, and Integrated Science laboratories, all equipped with adequate, relevant, and modern equipment and materials.
“The College has the largest landmass among its peers. It has a total land size of 198.319 hectares suitable for academic activities, agriculture, and future expansion to a world-class institution.
“As it is now, Kwara South is the only one among the three senatorial districts without a fully-fledged government-owned university. Kwara State University, Malete, is in Kwara North with a campus in Ilesha-Baruba and Ilorin (School of Business) in Tate & Lyle and a Study Centre in the Ministry of Agriculture Estate in Ilorin.”
The Kwara South Consultative Forum also advised the state government not to accede to the request of IEDPU in renaming the University of Ilorin after the founder of the Alimi dynasty, describing the matter as provocative.