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It all started on the 24 September 2020 when I stumbled on a letter dated 17 December 2019 written by the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education to the Executive Secretary Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETfund, conveying the approval of President Buhari for the establishment of new Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the country to address the emergency in the education sector in Nigeria. I was excited when I saw that one of the Federal Polytechnics approved for Cross River State without a location tied to it. I immediately called the Obol Lopon of Ugep and Paramount Ruler of Yakurr to alert.
I beseeched His Royal Majesty to write a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari appealing to him to site the Federal Polytechnic Cross River State in Ugep. Obol Lopon didn’t hesitate. He accepted my advice and wrote the letter dated 24 September 2020 to Mr. President through Hon. Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu, which he sent to him for delivery in Abuja.
In the letter, Obol Lopon reminded Mr. President of his request on the 26 October 2018 when he paid a courtesy visit to him in my company. Obol Lopon had requested that Mr. President approved the establishment of a Federal University of Science and Technology in Ugep. On the 20 January 2021, I got a call from Malam Adamu Adamu at about 9 pm. He asked me pointedly why the Polytechnic should be in Ugep. I told him that Ugep is an APC stronghold.
In the 2019 presidential election, Ugep voted massively for Mr. President. Abi/Yakurr Federal constituency produced the only APC member in the House of Representatives from the Cross River State, Dr. Alex Egbona. Lastly, I told him where federal educational institutions in Cross River State are.
The Federal educational institutions in Cross River State, Nigeria, include the University of Calabar, Calabar, Federal College of Education, Obudu, Federal Government College, Ikom, Federal Science College, Ogoja and Federal Government Girls College, Calabar. Ugep has no federal government educational institution.
Ugep has a population of 202,000. It is the largest town in Cross River after Calabar. It is the headquarters of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State. President Buhari is a sincere and fair-minded leader.
I vividly remembered President Buhari’s reply to the request of Obol Lopon on 26 October 2018 that during his time as President, he will ensure that every part of Nigeria benefits from federal government presence.
President Buhari is a sincere, genuine, and fair-minded leader. Sincerely this is the reason why I believe in him as a person and a leader. He has lavished appointments on Cross River indigenes.
I also thank the Honourable Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, for his large-heartedness, friendship, and sincerity. He is humble, open-minded, honest, and a true leader.
