THE BIRTH OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AGBOR

THE
BIRTH OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AGBOR

1. PREAMBLES:

“History is not a science
subject, but it repeats itself.” History has much in influencing
peoples’ thought, and behaviour. But unfortunately many people have
lived in their environment without knowing all around them. History
is, “the discipline that records and interprets past events
involving human beings”, by Dictionary. All that is remembered in
the past as preserved in “the dawn of recorded history”.
Therefore, the History of the birth of the College of Education,
Agbor is very much over due, as many distorted stories will soon be
flying right, left and centre. It is over due now that the actors in
the making of the College of Education, Agbor are very much around.
Already some people have started to claim that they either influenced
the establishment of the College of Education, Agbor or that they
brought the College. There are a number of questions to be answered
before we can accept that they brought the College. Establishing
College of Education, needs technocrats, experts and planners. What
are you? An Education expert?, a technocrat? What are your
educational backgrounds? Now this is how College of Education, Agbor
came to being.

2. It
is funny that many people claim to have done, or influenced, or
facilitated what they know not. It is only ignorant people that will
often believe them. This goes to say that barbers learn to barb on
fools’ heads. But we are no fools. Their tricks are well known by
us all “The truth that makes men free is for the most part the
truth which men prefer not to hear” Herbert Agaz.

One may not be surprised hearing
people claiming to have done this or that or have invented an
aeroplane simply because they were either touts, messengers that had
access to one of the managers and hearing just few stories of how the
aeroplane was made. When such people come up with either influencing,
facilitating, siting, etc, making it look real, just ask yourself the
following questions about the narrator. Who is the narrator? What are
his qualifications? What part has he played in the exercise?

3. Take
for example, a factory. The narrator or the man claiming to have
influenced or siting the factory should have been an engineer, with
many years experience. The man must have to carry a study of the type
of factory and the economic viability and prepare a sound report with
reasons to receive approval. That you are a member of a body alone is
not enough for you to claim the author, facilitator of the project.

4. There
are factors that are very necessary to be studied before locating the
factory in a place. If I may ask, what study did one carry out to
convince the body siting the factory in the location? What are your
qualifications? Is it so easy for one to say let there be this
factory in a particular place and the factory is put there? Whoever
that believes such stories should be examined.
Before
one can succeed in facilitating or siting, a factory, or institution,
one must have been (a) an expert in that field (b) thought about it
and spends time studying the project. I pity illiterates opening
their mouths wide to say that they brought a University when they
have never been to the four walls of a University.

Ask them what is a University?
They mope. What are the contents of a University? They gasp for
speech. All they could say is that when they – Experts – wanted
to put it in Y, he told them to put it in Z. Ask them further to
explain, they will claim that they were political Guru then, and that
whatever they ask government to do, government did.

Many of them have been political
Gurus even now, what have they now brought to Ika land? Nothing good
comes so easy. It is high time we stood to change all these old Guru
fools not to deceive and fool us as we are not going to accept their
tricks. That they are our elders and we respect them as much, does
not mean we do not know what they have been doing to the extent that
they claim superior to everybody. They are no traditional rulers that
our culture bestows or allows their children to be given special
privileges and their first sons to succeed them, as kings or
traditional rulers.

5. No
wonder our schools are left to decay while Gurus, politicians, office
holders send their children to oversea schools to study. I give
thanks to proprietors of private schools and I am happy that the
public who are able to afford their school fees are enjoying their
services. The results of the private schools can never be compared
with those of the public schools. The establishment of private
schools is alternative to public schools.

One person asked the question why
was the Owa Oyibu Teachers Training College not considered, inspite
of the well orchestrated political Gurus from the area. The answer is
not far fetched I replied.

6. The
establishment of the Colleges of Education was trusted to a competent
body under the leadership of Prof. Alele William, a seasoned
administrator who prefers to do neat job rather than to mess her
name. Besides, there were many odds against Owa Oyibu Teachers
Training College that it couldn’t have be selected no matter how
powerful the Gurus claims to be.

(a) The site was at the boundary
between Owa-Oyibu and Abavo and both towns were claiming the school,
instead of sinking their differences and work together.

(b) The Teachers Training College
was new and there was serious local politics which I am not
interested wasting my time on.

(c) The moment the school was
disbounded, one of the host communities turn their part of the land
to a burial ground. This political Guru could not resolve their
impasse because he is a sectional leader. Seeing failure staring at
his face, he put up a bold face to say he influenced the siting or in
other words that he brought the College of Education, Agbor. This
Guru is noted for sectionalizing Ika Nation. If he is so powerful as
he claims to be in the faces of ignorant admirers why should the
Teachers Training College Owa/Abavo not be turned to a College of
Education? Please let this particular guru tell the Ika nation, world
what he will be remembered for? Ika should stand up for those who
think – Ika, and work to sustain her credible identity not telling
us that they have been in politics since the time of Zik and
Awolowo, as Chief John Nwagimeje call themselves the political Gurus.
This time Ikas are not ready to recognize these dreaming leaders who
have recognized their failures and only want to cook up history to
make them look relevant. Of the old politicians, I rate great ones of
Ika land, outstanding are:

7. (a) His
Royal Majesty, Obi Ikechukwu I, the Obi of Agbor.
This fearless

worthy
son of Ika land contributed in no small way to bring the Ika Nation
to be recognized in Western Region when, he was Minister in the
ministry of Chieftaincy affairs. May his soul rest in peace.

(b) Another worthy
son of Ika who was able to bring Ika nation to the lime light was
Chief Felix Ozere
Osuhor of Umunede. He
was a Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture in Western Region.
During his tenure, the farm settlement at Mbiri was established. May
his soul rest in peace. He was a great patriot.

(c) Chief
Anukwu of Owa was the
parliamentary secretary whose contributions towards making Ika to be
known need applauding. These three great Ika sons had the vision, to
make the world know that a nation call Ika exists comprising great
minds. They did not amass wealth as the present so called Ika gurus
and political leaders. These great Ika sons were concerned not only
with their immediate family as the present political Ika gurus who
choose to factionalize the Ika nation to their personal gains, but
seeing Ika as one nation and working for her well being.

8. Another
great Ika son is Dr.
George Orewa. The
nation, Ika got recognition through his effort. It is funny that some
Ika sons in position of authority prefer to be there alone, to be
adored alone and never to encourage others nor attract developments
to Ika land. One sees some Ika sons rising to the highest position in
an industry, office and retiring without any Ika being employed in
that industry. He prefers to tell stories how he was adored with no
Ika son employed in that organization, as he retires. These Ikas will
never think of bringing a replica of where they worked to Ika land,
they prefer to be Honoured with chieftaincy titles and praised by
empty praise singers like Ezedom, Asonyenime and a host of faceless
Ikas who live from hand to mouth.

An Ika son headed the Banking
Industry in the Central Bank, I am yet to see how many Ika sons and
daughters were in Central Bank before he retired. Mrs. Mariam
Babagida was the wife of the head of state. She made Asaba relevant
by influencing the capital of Delta State to Asaba. She is a worthy
daughter of Asaba in particular and Anioma in general. I doff my hat
for this noble lady that has shown love for the land of her birth.
May her soul rest in peace.

Similarly, Ika sons were in NNPC,
Army, Police, FESTAC and in Government, and I am yet to see how many
Ika sons and daughters benefited from any of them, or attracted some
thing from where they worked to Ika nation and now they are Gurus, in
Ika nation parading their false body about. They prefer to draw dead
woods that will only say “Yes Sir” that can never give
developmental advised around them.