FCE Okene: May the board be fair and honest

It is said that quite a few, including the acting provost, from across the tribal spectrum of Kogi State, have applied. Who eventually gets the post depends on the thinking of my presumed incorruptible panel of interviewers who may not be wiling to succumb to political or ethnic influences. May I draw the attention of […]

It is said that quite a few, including the acting provost, from across the tribal spectrum of Kogi State, have applied. Who eventually gets the post depends on the thinking of my presumed incorruptible panel of interviewers who may not be wiling to succumb to political or ethnic influences.

May I draw the attention of my readers to what was happening in some of our colonial past and a decade of our post-independence era.

First, let us take the case of the Police Force where I had served and retired in 1975. When an incumbent IGP retires, he is succeeded by a competent officer from within, for a smooth transition and continuity. The successor’s rank, more often than not, is never below that of an AIG.

If the AIG succeeds the outgoing IGP the DIGs following the IGP would have no option but just go. This policy is still very much in vogue today. Indeed authors of such a policy were simply super correct.

This policy was also well used in the Federal and Regional Public Civil Services. Top outgoing civil servants were succeeded by their equally erudite and experienced deputies. Through this method, we had a robust civil service whether at the Federal or Regional level. That was why we were able to withstand the upheavals that followed the January 1966 coup for many years before the introduction of our yet unstable democracy.

Since the return of our so-called democracy, we have witnessed much chaos mainly because of failure to do things correctly all because of our desire to satisfy political jobbers through political patronage. These days, ignorant, incompetent and uneducated politicians are brought into our public office as Permanent Secretaries. What do you expect? Shoddy work and obviously corrupt and unproductive civil service.

As education is the bastion of development at all levels, attempts should be made at all cost to ensure that this cancer of management is not allowed to spread to our educational institutions, most especially our Colleges of Education spread across the country. If allowed, then our future is doomed. The only way to stop this is to do the correct thing. But as things are done in the country today, can this be possible?

This brings into focus the Okene Federal College of Education. It has had its ups and downs but has been able to survive the many bitter winters. At present, its affairs are being run by an acting provost. Now, she has to vacate that position as applications, have been called “from suitably qualified candidates” for the post of the college’s provost.

When I met her recently, she was able to answer some of my incisive and provocative questions with respect, humility and equanimity laced with diplomatic niceties.

She has vast experiences gathered at different levels of her service since the beginning of her career. Having been a deputy provost from 2002-2006 and since 2006 till date an acting provost with no major upheavals in the College, there is no doubt that she is a suave and shrewd academic administrator to be appointed as the Provost of FCE Okene.

She may well be, provided the board empowered to make the choice is not unduly politically and ethnically influenced.

Bello A. Adoke writes from 4 GRA Road, Behind Mr Biggs, Okene, Kogi State