Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has stated that the intervention in the internal roads of tertiary institutions across the country by the federal government is a critical investment in education.
The Minister stated this, Tuesday, December 6, 2022 during the official handing over of completed rehabilitation and construction of 1.175 kilometers road and drainages in the Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe, Gombe State.
The Minister was represented at the occasion by the Federal Controller of Works, Gombe State, Engineer Salihu Jibrin.
Fashola who described the intervention as a critical support to education, also said “the point must be made that although this is a civil works project, it is an investment in education”
Explaining the need to bridge infrastructure gap in schools, he said ” We have successfully intervened in 64 internal Road projects in various Federal Tertiary Institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022 and we now have another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 83″
While acknowledging that a lot of work needs to be done in many sectors of national life, including education, Fashola pointed out that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped up in leading the process of getting the work done, pointing out that the intervention has contributed immensely to the increased job creation initiative of the FG, revealing that 60 people had been employed during the road construction in the College.
In his remarks, the College Provost, Dr Ali Adamu Boderi described the roads intervention in the College as timely as before now, some facilities already being threatened by gully erosion had now been reclaimed
Dr Adamu said ” Roads intervention in the College was timely and has tremendously assisted in reclaiming many of our facilities that were hitherto threatened by potholes and gully erosion, it has also brought relief to the entire College community as well as vehicular movement in the College”
The Provost appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola for the roads intervention in his school, praying that the College should also be considered as a beneficiary when similar intervetion is conceived in future.
In an interview, Dr. Nasiru Bello, a Principal Lecturer, Department of Education said that, before the intervention, the condition of the roads was extremely bad to the extent that some departments in the college were disconnected.
“Some parts of the college were cutoff totally before this intervention, like the new school of science complex to staff quarters down to the college library” he said
Accordingly he said that, air pollution and visual distraction from pollution was everywhere in the college environment and had significance effect on the health of students before the intervention.
“Now that crack pavement, potholes, uneven surface and collapse shoulders on the roads were newly constructed the benefits of this roads intervention to the learning environment in this college are unquantifiable” Dr Bello said
He further explained that such roads construction in academic environments has reduced transportation time of goods and resources for effective teaching and learning and this also has a positive correlation with student’s enrollment, academic performance, health and safety in the college.
Dr Bello commended the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for witnessing this great deal of commitments to education, saying that the government realized that tertiary institutions in the country are reservoirs of agents of national development.
President of Students Union Government (SUG), Comadrade Sahabi Alhassan, a Student of Computer Science Education described the situation in the College as devastating before the intervention.
He said “We found it difficult to move around the school more especially in the night and during rainy season due to the effect of erosion within the school environment and fears of reptiles more especially snakes. Going to lectures, reading in the night is boring those days honestly”
Accordingly he stated that the roads intervention has helped a lot in opening the school environment and easying movement within by allowing access to so many places that can’t be reached before because of erosion.
“There is no more fear of such reptiles now. Our security has improved tremendously. Security as we all know is one of the major issue required by students on campus, but today the story is that security is now efficient and guaranteed ” he added
The SUG President thanked the College Provost for his determination in ensuring that the project was executed in the College, and also appreciated the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the job well done
“Words are not enough to describe how this government impacted on the students with this kind of intervention, we were honestly excited with the intervention and we have also come to realize how students friendly this government is” he said
Sunday Thliza Mjigimtu, SERVICOM Focal Officer in the College said the conditions of the road network in the College before the intervention was very terrible.
He said ” The main road that links the College main gate down to the virtual Library and the academic areas was very bad with potholes all over. The one that linked the female hostel, football pitch and the College Chapel was not motorable because of the heap of sand that was all over. The new Science complex was completely cut-off by gully erosion. The staff quarters was not easily accessible”
Mr Sunday also stated that the impact and benefits of the intervention is enormous, as everywhere in the College is now motorable, water tanks can now supply water to students’ hostels, staff quarters and college farm, while motorists now have smooth drive and can move around with convenience.
Accordingly he said, Students are now having free access to academic areas, sporting fields, places of worship and all the unaccessible roads are now motorable.
He described President Mohammadu Buhari’s road infrastructure as laudable, timely and a welcome development in all tertiary institutions of higher learning.
The 1.175 kilometers internal road handed over in the Federal College of Education Technical, Gombe connects among other buildings in the College; Academic Complex; School of Business Education; CBT Center; College Library and Sports Complex
Others are; Admin Block; Females and Males Hostels; Auditorium; Central Masjid and School of Science Education.
A short drama presentation capturing the benefits and transformation brought about in the College by the road intervention was performed as well as the display of cultural dances during this colourful event.
