Here’s a fact: 25 years from now, Kogi Central will produce more medical doctors, engineers, scientists, and other professionals than any other region in the Confluence State. You may doubt this, and that’s fine, but note it down and check back in the years ahead. This achievement won’t be based on the region’s size or population, but on strategic and intentional leadership.
The world doesn’t wait for you just because you’re big or were the best yesterday—yesterday is already history. The world won’t give you a break because of past achievements. It honors and rewards those who are intentional and strategic. Success doesn’t happen by accident, and nations that failed to plan years ago are now dealing with challenges that are overwhelming them.
Let me break it down. What Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration has done is simple: it has strategically decentralized university education in Kogi State. Many are concerned about funding the three universities, but they fail to consider the broader implications. Yes, it’s true that adequately funding three state universities will be a challenge for a state like Kogi. So why create them? The leadership’s strategy and vision for the future are clear: seek funding elsewhere, bring in grants and scholarships, and involve good-spirited individuals and groups. The state will contribute its “modest financial share,” while external support will fill the gap.
A forward-thinking community with solid plans for the future will raise funds, secure grants, and offer scholarships to support universities in their region. Look at the recent developments—examine the external support the three universities have received over the last year, analyze the trend, and you’ll get a sense of where they’ll be in the next decade.
This isn’t a focus on problems; it’s a call to action, a challenge for people to step up and do what is right. This is not the time to waste resources on unsustainable projects. Instead, it’s time to strategically consider how many students you, your organization, or your partners can sponsor—whether in medical schools, agricultural engineering, AI, robotics, and beyond. We need to look two or three decades ahead.
The advantage of having three universities now is that it eases the financial burden on resources. If you were able to sponsor ten students on scholarships before, now that the universities are in your region, you might sponsor twenty or more. For example, with the programs offered at CUSTECH, if Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) needs fifty new graduates in metallurgical engineering tomorrow, Kogi Central can now supply them by specialization. Think about this: if Kogi State, as an oil-producing region, is granted a slot for petroleum engineers or industrial chemists in the future, which region will fill those roles?
This is a call to recognize the future that lies ahead and to understand what awaits us. It’s a call to be intentionally futuristic, to see the potential in every opportunity, and to make it work for you. Contributing, no matter how little, helps reduce the number of able-bodied men who might otherwise be drawn to thuggery.
Think about it: you can make your community a hub of engineers, medical doctors, pilots, computer scientists, bankers, agriculturists, and more. Be intentional, collaborate, and witness the wonders in the next decade. Be part of the solution.
ARISE!
