THE controversy  over the location of the newly approved federal university granted the North-Central zone took the Senate by storm recently, leading to the multi-dimensional arguments from Kogi and Nasarawa states. While the interest from Kogi was divided between the West Senatorial District and the East as represented by Senator Smart Adeyemi and Senator Nicholas Ugbane, Senator Abubakar Sodangi, took over the fight on behalf of Nasarawa state.It was a keenly contested battle fought on more than three fronts.

While Nasarawa wanted the new institution, Kogi also wanted it. But the variation in Kogi’s argument was about the location of the institution. The Kogi West Senatorial District, which had its argument championed by Senator Adeyemi, wanted the new school located in the area. But somehow, the argument arose from the state government’s corner to negate the claim of Kogi West. The state authorities also wanted the institution, but there was the feeling that it was planning to locate it in the East Senatorial District.

That argument got to the presidential implementation committee on the new educational policy and it eventually recommended Nasarawa as the choice location. Just as the dust raised by that issue was settling down, the Federal Government again opened the flanks when it approved the setting up of three additional universities, with one to be located in Kogi State.

This is bound to renew the agitation between the contending interests in Kogi State and no one was surprised at what happened last week in the Senate. Senator Smart Adeyemi, who spearheaded the initial call for the location of the federal university in Kabba, Kogi West, again raced to address the media in the Senate. He praised the Federal Government for the initiative and declared that the decision would enhance the nation’s education standard.

The Kogi State government also issued statements in the media praising the Federal Government for the decision to site a university in Kogi State. Adeyemi told a gathering of newsmen on Thursday that the people of his state welcomed the decision by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to site a federal university in Kogi State. He, however, insisted that to ensure fairness, equity and justice, the university should be located in Kogi West. He specifically mentioned the need to uplift the 48 years old College of Agriculture, a campus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria located in Kabba, Kogi state.

Senator Adeyemi declared that even though he raised cogent reasons in support of his demand for the location of the Federal University in Kogi State last month, the decision to site the school in Nasarawa was welcomed by him as a law-abiding citizen.

He said: “In a democratic dispensation, agitations and requests by individuals or groups are part of the hallmark of a thriving democratic society. Each time I addressed the media on issues that affect the state or nation, I did that on the background of being a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is committed to the social well being of people as a pre-requisite for peace, fairness and equity. I must emphasize that I represent a Senatorial District that is disadvantaged in terms of power sharing and federal presence.”

The senator  said that the approval of the new federal university for Kogi State should easily clear the channels for its location in Kabba in honour of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, who inaugurated the College of Agriculture in  the town in 1963. He asked Jonathan to ensure that the College of Agriculture established by Sir Ahmadu Bello was upgraded to house the new university, not only in honour of the late Sardauna but also in recognition of the need to enhance education standards in Kogi West Senatorial district. He declared: “The legendary Sir. Ahmadu Bello, in siting the College of Agriculture in Kabba, considered the contributions that the people of the old Kabba Province had made to the advancement and development of education in the country and particularly in the civil service, such as the likes of the late S.A. Ajayi and Chief Sunday Awoniyi. If the late Sardauna could recognise the contributions of the people of the old Kabba Province as far back as 1963, it would be a thing of honour if our leaders today  will build on the tremendous goodwill and foresight of this great leader by upgrading the College of Agriculture to a university.”

Senator Adeyemi has once again spoken for his constituency. He has opened the channels for arguments and agitations once again. It is part of his brief as a legislator to put issues affecting his people in the front burner. But only few lawmakers take that as a duty.