Last Friday’s announcement of free primary and secondary education in Taraba State from the next session by Governor Agbu Kefas is a landmark decision by a leader who has a clear vision and good plans for his people.
The announcement was made during a visit to Ebenezer Primary School in Wukari Local Government Area of the state. It is the fulfilment of Kefa’s promise to provide free and compulsory primary and secondary education to his people, if elected as governor.
The governor has been vigorously pursuing the education reforms he promised since his assumption of office on May 29, 2023 as he maintains that it is the responsibility of the Taraba State Government to bear the expenses in providing education and that students should not be made to pay any fees.
Kefas, whose impact is already being felt across the state within just two months in office, had earlier slashed the school fees payable by all students at the state university and the School of Nursing and Midwifery by 50 percent during an unscheduled visit to the institutions, as a way of relieving the financial burden on parents in the face of the current economic realities in the country.
Given his background as a retired military officer, he wasted no time in walking his talk, immediately swinging into action right from his first week in office by effecting noticeable changes with his declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector, among others.
Apparently determined to change the game with his resolve to develop the full potential of the youth of the state, Kefas, upon assumption of office, had also promised to form what he described as an all-inclusive government with the youth and women constituting 80 percent of his cabinet .
“If I am to single out commissioners across the 16 local government areas to work with me, I can simply do that now and present (them) to the State House of Assembly for screening. But that is what I can’t do alone. I must carry the stakeholders and my party, the PDP, along.
“I want to run an all-inclusive (government). I will not want to be accused of running a one-man government, but my assurance to the people is that we are going to form the state executive cabinet within my one month in office so that we can hit the ground running,’’ the governor was quoted as saying.
Already noted for making unannounced visits to schools in the state to see things for himself at intervals, Governor Kefas has so far visited Comprehensive Secondary School, Nyamusalah Primary School, Government Science Secondary School and Jalingo Science Secondary School, all in Jalingo, capital of the state, among others, with instructions for the immediate renovation and rehabilitation of structures in some of the schools, including the female hostels of the Taraba State University.
We have no doubt that the governor is out to make a difference as his style is a clear departure from the docile and lack-lustre style of his predecessor, Darius Ishiaku, who was noted for spending most of the time in Abuja rather than in the state during his tenure. The people of Taraba are now witnessing a new dawn in the state with the Agbu Kefas Administration.
We really commend Governor Kefas for wasting no time in walking his talk and doing so with military precision. This is the kind of leadership needed not only in the North but also across the country. The realisation that he has no time to waste is a major factor driving his speed. The fact that he is running against time to leave a mark in the sands of time in the growth and development of his state is worthy of emulation.
We call on the people of the state to rally round the governor as he proceeds in his mission to rebuild the state and effect the much-needed reforms in the various sectors of the economy and ensure that the security challenges that the state has been facing over the years are properly and effectively addressed.
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