Edo 2024: Edo govt refutes Olumide Akpata’s false claims

The Edo State Government has addressed and refuted claims made by Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, regarding the alleged shutdown of academic activities at the College of Education under Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.

The government clarified that the College of Education has remained fully operational, with no interruptions to its academic programs.

According to a statement by Chris Osa Nehikhare, Hon. Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, the state has invested heavily in educational reforms, transforming the former Colleges of Education into the Edo State College of Education, which now operates across multiple campuses in Igueben, Abudu, and Afuze.

“It is deeply concerning and worrisome to hear such a blatant misrepresentation.  The record must be put in proper perspective by informing the good people of the State that, at no time in the administration of Mr. Godwin Obaseki was the academic activities of the College interrupted and/or obstructed, as the academic activities of the defunct College of Education, Igueben, now Edo State College of Education have been running smoothly and unhindered.

“For the purpose of clarity, the present administration carried out a massive transformation of the educational ecosystem, which was extended to the defunct Colleges of Education in the State.

“This reform gave birth to the new Edo State College of Education with the legal instrument otherwise known as Education State College of Education (EdoCoE) Law, 2020.  The new College has Campuses spread across the three (3) Senatorial Districts of the State, with the Main Campus located at Igueben whilst other Campuses are situated at Abudu and Afuze, with specialized Programmes.

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“Furthermore, the State Government had recently committed huge financial resources into the College to ensure that the College obtained both full institutional and Academic Programmes in July, 2024, as granted by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the National Regulatory Body of Colleges of Education in Nigeria.  The essence of this full accreditation is to ensure that the teacher’s training institution in the state meets the required quality standards and in keeping with the global best practices

“It must be emphatically stated here that during the course of this transformation and restructuring, the academic activities of the College remained intact and uninterrupted.  For the avoidance of doubt, the defunct College of Education, Igueben, graduated Students for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 Academic Sessions.

“The new Edo State College of Education (EdoCoE), which commenced academic activities in April, 2023, is expected to graduate the pioneer Students of the College in the 2024/2025 Academic Session without any form of encumbrance or interruption.

“In peroration, it must be emphasized here that Mr. Governor’s commitment to education in Edo State is undeniable, and the College of Education remains a vital institution for teachers’ training in the State.  Therefore, this baseless claim is a clear and deliberate attempt to mislead the good people of Edo State in order to score cheap political points.