Education in Edo State is pitiable, unacceptable. It’s really really sad – Godwin Obaseki laments, indicts Oshiomhole

Interim Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has declared the resolve of his administration to rebuild Benin Technical College for the training of skilled technical manpower and job creation.

Mr Godwin Obaseki made the disclosure on Monday in Benin City when he led a delegation on an inspection tour of the dilapidated Benin Technical College, Benin City.

Not pleased with the condition of the school Obaseki said, “Look at what we have. It’s unacceptable” and he resolved, “We will have to take very drastic measures in the next few weeks. We have to rebuild this institution and we have to bring it up to standard so that it becomes the basis for training technical manpower.”

Mr Obaseki, who was accompanied on the facility tour by the State interim Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, interim Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Barr. Osarodion Ogie and the interim Chief of Staff, Edo State Government, Taiwo Akerele, spoke further, “Well, in our election promise, you recall, we said emphasizes was going to be on jobs. And to create jobs, you have to have facilities and institutions where you train people on practical knowledge on how to create work and create things and that is why we felt that the first point of call should be to find out what happened to our technical college which is supposed to be the institution to train skilled technical man-power and I’m sure, you will agree with me, that this is pitiable. It’s really really sad.”

According to the interim Governor, “If you could see the quality of the infrastructure that was built 40 years ago, two of these institutions were donated by the Canadian Government to two African countries 40 years ago. If you look at the equivalent of this institution in Tanzania, it is producing highly qualified technical manpower in that country.”

Mr Obaseki told the Principal of the School, Mrs Bose Imafidon, who conducted the Governor and his entourage round the school,  to submit the survey plan of the property the school has  through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education to the Governor’s Office Government House, Benin City on Tuesday at 10am.

Places inspected are the technical session, Junior Secondary School and its extension, wielding and technical workshop, which accommodates various machines and other equipment.

Also inspected were the Radio and Television, Electrical, Information and Communication workshops as well as staff quarters and the swimming pool, its pavilion and dressing room which were already over-grown by weeds.

The inspection revealed wide-spread dilapidation of infrastructure and technical facilities in the school.

The question on the lips of most residents in Edo state has been why Obaseki is now lamenting when his party had claimed that they made red roof revolution in Edo state and upgraded education in the state. If the only technical college in the state isn’t touched what was the red roof revolution worth after all?