Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly Abuja on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Shehu Sani has called on Northern leaders to take education with all seriousness to avert an imminent collapse of public schools.
He made the call at the 40th-anniversary celebration of Government Science College, Kagara, in Rafi LGA of Niger State, on Saturday, organised by the Kagara Old Boys Association (KAGOBA) class of 1984 in Minna, Niger state capital.
Shehu Sani said public schools used to be the best schools to acquire education because they had teachers both from within and outside of Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate that today, some of the public schools that produced the best people in the history of this country are de-ruling what they used to be.
“In our days in schools, we had teachers from Pakistan, India, Canada and Egypt, among us are now professors, medical doctors, engineers, senators, captains of industries, army generals, among others.
“It is unfortunate what public schools have become today, especially in the north, the North must take education seriously, as it lacks behind with the highest number of out-of-school children,” he said.
The senator who doubles as a human rights activist and political commentator, however, lamented that the activities of armed bandits and terrorists have destroyed the educational fabrics and basics in northern Nigeria.
He noted that Government Science College Kagara that produced some of the best professionals the country had today, had been deserted due to bandits attacks where students were killed and abducted in large numbers.
He, however, supported the relocation of the school to Minna in the mean time, adding that security had improved under President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
The senator said there was evidence that many top terrorist commanders have been eliminated compared to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration where many schools were attacked.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of KAGOBA, Jafar Tukur, who is also a Deputy Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service said the college was in established 1968, started operation in Minna between 1967 and 1968 and was later moved to Kagara in 1973.
Tukur, represented by the Vice Chairman of KAGOBA, Dr Philip Ibrahim, said the college was unique in the history of Niger State, stressing that almost all professionals in the state civil service were products of Kagara, Kutigi and Izom and Maryam Babangida colleges.
Tukur, however, described “unfortunate the current condition of the school, adding that for 10 years ago, excos of KAGOBA were responsible for procurement of tables and chairs for students to write WAEC in the school.
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