The Journalist In COE, Oju As Provost

Its good development for the College of Education (COE) Oju in Benue State to have a journalist, the giant academic, Professor Boniface Odeh Ogbu as the institution's Provost. He is resurrecting the college believed to have died few years ago! 

Before joining the academic, Professor Ogbu had practice journalism across Nigeria. Places like Ikeja Lagos, Kebbi, Kaduna and Benue were among the states the media practitioner served before he changed over to the academic profession.

Disclosing the news to the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Benue State Council, Comrade Bemdoo Ugber during the visit to the institution, Professor Oghu stated that he worked for the National Concord, published by the late Chief Moshood Abiola and left when the media organization folded up! 

Describing himself as colleague to the NUJ Chairman, Professor Oghu said, the chairman's notice through Samuel Ogbaji for the visit was short but "excited me to approve immediately." 

He added "when Ogbaji told me about the request to visit me, I approved immediately because, journalism was my immediate constituency."

He stated that wherever he came across journalists, he saw them as colleagues from the immediate constituency.

According to him, the regard goes beyond those from the same university system he operates as professor and said "so, I am a journalist, I am one of you in the college, my doors are open, you can come anytime you want to come." 

On efforts to reposition COE, Oju, the Provost stated that his appointment provided a clear mandate for bringing the institution back to its life. For this reason, on assumption of the duty, he set parameters for accomplishing the task.

The Provost said "Governor Hyacinth Alia gave me a clear mandate, it is to bring this school up again." He noted that the infrastructure and personnel positions collapsed in the college due to neglect before he came.

The Provost lamented that staff were not coming to work and the few that came feared presence of harmful reptiles like snakes among others that hid within the tall bushes that over grew the college and gave the frightening image of a forest to the institution! 

Another problem the provost highlighted was the reported encroachment of the college lands by the neighbouring communities.

He lamented the absence of a perimeter fence round the college and stressed the need for securing the institution against more encroachments. 

Also, shortage of personnel to power the academic and non academic activities, identified as having contributed to the worrisome drop in student population came to the front burner and sought to become part of the institution's past history.

As Provost's resolve for resuscitating the college has become stronger, he said "the need for reviving this college is compelling for me. I have to succeed with the mandate."

To accomplish the task, he disclosed that management under his leadership has held meetings regularly with board members of the college. Also, staff like academic and non academic including the host community as well as other stakeholders relevant for the project have been engaged always for creating positive impact on the mandate.

Part of the impact disclosed by the provost is issuance of certificates to the students who graduated many years without getting the document!

Prof. Ogbu said "Governor Alia sent me here for a purpose, the purpose is to bring back this college to life, this is why the turnaround has started coming impressively."

He added that the meetings with both the academic and non academic staff convinced them to resume work unlike what previously happened when dialogue usually broke down and made worse of the situation! 

As the collaboration has brought the needed relief, Professor Ogbu remarked that Governor Alia deserves proper commendation for making the college return to life. The COE Oju has gotten accreditation of many courses from the National Commission for Colleges of Education.

Twenty eight courses have been accredited under Professor Ogbu within the short period he has held the position of Provost for the college. 

Some of the notable courses approved for the institution include agricultural extension education, special education and political science among others. In all, the COE Oju has over twenty nine fine courses to offer the seekers of quality educational knowledge.

This progress has made the institution attractive to the public, making her one of the best choices for parents and guardians to send their loved ones to study for a brighter future.

Enrolment of students in the college prior to appointment of Professor Ogbu stood at two hundred students. Today, the turnaround has changed the situation with enrollment in the following positions; one hundred and seventy students are for the National Certificate of Education, NCE program and one hundred and fifty for the undergraduate degree program.

The new enrollments have swollen the population of students in the college to an appreciable proportion. 

This progress has been regarded as breakthrough on the efforts to reposition the COE, Oju amidst the tasking challenges 

On infrastructure decay, the Provost clarified that six large service vehicles and other smaller ones were grounded due to lack of repairs many years ago, but management under him has given face lift to the auto mobile assets.

Other areas of concern like infrastructure rot Professor Ogbu led management wants to address include renovation of the collapsed building converted to an hostel for accommodation of the male students, the first of it kind in history of the college.

Renovating the facility would reduce the challenges faced by male students on campus of the COE, Oju.

Other dilapidated structures receiving attention are the damaged boreholes among several different projects in the college the provost insists to fix back before his term of the office exhausts.