On Monday, Governor Yahaya Bello’s government announced plans to raise N15 billion to establish a third state university in Kabba.

Wemi Jones, education commissioner, disclosed this while briefing journalists shortly after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Lokoja.

Mr Jones said the SEC had already approved the memo containing the bill to establish Kogi State University, Kabba.

He said the attorney general had also been directed to transmit the bill to the Kogi House of Assembly for consideration and passage.

“We are very much aware that a Faculty of Law is one of the prerequisites for the National University Commission (NUC) to recognise and approve any request for a private university in Nigeria,” the commissioner explained. “Therefore, the Kogi state government is working towards ensuring that before the end of the coming weeks, NUC will have given approval to the state university.”

Mr Jones added, “In fact, the recently inaugurated implementation committee chaired by Prof Olu Obafemi is working alongside other stakeholders to speed up the process.”

The commissioner used the opportunity to clarify the rumour over alleged plans to convert the College of Education (Technical), Kabba, into a site for the university.

He said the news was false and “unauthenticated information.” However, the commissioner explained that the committee, after several considerations, concluded that it was expedient to start the Kogi State University, Kabba, at the College of Education (Technical) Kabba while the college of education would be relocated. 

(NAN)