BENIN CITY- Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki has assured the old boys of premier Institution, Edo College Benin City that their Alma Matter will be re-built as his administration will play its part as proprietor of the school by refreshing the master plan of the school to determine the capital infrastructure to be built.
Obaseki gave the assurance when he received members of Edo College Old Boys Association (ECOBA) led by its president worldwide Dr. Reuben Osahon who were on a courtesy visit to government house Benin City, the Edo State Capital.
The governor said Edo College is the college for Edo state and such should be projected and protected as the college celebrates its 80 years in existence.
He said to address a number of challenges facing the school, his commissioner of education, the permanent secretary of education, the principal of the school and the ministry of Urban planning together will look at the design and master plan of the school to enable them refresh the master plan and determine what capital infrastructure that needs to built in the school.
On the encroachment of the college land, Governor Obaseki said the survey plan of the school need to be re-established as encroachers will have themselves to be blamed as the encroached land will certainly be re-claimed.
“I just have to emphasis here that the survey plan of the school needs to be re-established and the properties of anybody that encroached on the college land will be fenced and it will belong to the school. We cannot continue to accept institution where people just violate other people’s property right. Government paid compensation on that land when it was acquired years ago, so no community or individuals have the right to violate government interest in that land. We are going to re-claim the land belonging to Edo College and it will be fenced”.
He said his administration need the assistance of the old boys in the area of human resources and curriculum of the school, noting that more money and time will be spend to achieve it.
Obaseki said the aspiration of the old boys should be on whether the school has the right caliber of teaching staff to disseminate quality of information and education received by the student in time past. He called them to come up with ideas to re-enact the curriculum as well as human capital resources of the school assuring them that his administration will support such ideas.
Earlier, ECOBA president worldwide Dr. Reuben Osahon commended Obaseki for the great achievements made so far in a relatively short period of time as governor of the state. He thanked him for his leadership style and innovativeness in dealing with different problems confronting the state.
He said they are in government house to inform the governor that Edo College Benin City will be celebrating 80 years of its existence. “The College is the product of the vision of Oba Eweka II, although it was followed up by Oba Akenzua II during whose reign it was established on 1st of February 1937.
Dr. Osahon highlighted some of the challenges facing the school to include, infrastructural decay; sub-optimal level o teaching staff; encroachment on the college land; damage done by erosion amongst others.
