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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Kaduna State Chapter, has kicked against the allocation of four new federal institutions to Zaria town in Kaduna State, which were facilitated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas.
Chairman of the MBF, Kaduna State Chapter, Luka Binniyat, said in a statement at the weekend: “We are not opposed to development in any part of the state, but we insist that such development must be fair, just, and equitable. It is unacceptable that one town, already saturated with federal institutions, should be given four more, while other areas are neglected.”
Binniyat questioned the rationale behind allocating four new federal institutions to Zaria, which already boasts 15 federal higher learning institutions. “This is outside the existence of the following Federal educational institutions in Zaria town… We have listed them, and they are 15 in number,” he said.
The four new institutions include the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery, Federal College of Education, Federal Open University, and Federal College of Legal Studies.
Binniyat noted that Southern Kaduna, which occupies 57% of the landmass of Kaduna state and holds 52.1% of its population, has only one federal institution: the Federal School of Statistics, Manchok.
“How Speaker Abbas was able to corner four federal institutions for Zaria, complete with a budget of N82 billion within 19 months of office, is certainly mysterious to us,” Binniyat said.
“We have never heard of any of these bills that ought to have eventually produced these schools being presented at any plenary of either the red or green chambers. We have certainly not seen any invitation to a public hearing on them.”
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Binniyat called on Speaker Abbas to explain the alleged lack of transparency in the allocation process of the institutions.
“Unlike the Bill for the Establishment of the University of Applied Sciences, Manchok, Kaura LGA in Southern Kaduna, sponsored by Sen. Sunday Marshall Katung… His bill has been of intense public view at the NASS plenary sessions, for which a public hearing was convened,” he said.
The MBF chairman emphasized the need for fair distribution of resources and development across Kaduna State, rather than concentrating them in one area.
“Speaker Abbas should be reminded that, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, his constituency has expanded beyond Zaria town to include the entire country, especially Kaduna state where he comes from,” Binniyat said.
He also urged the people of Southern Kaduna to recognize their numerical strength and demand fair representation in the state’s governance.
“This development should be instructive to Southern Kaduna… As long as we insist on playing second fiddle in Kaduna State at every general election by disaggregating our votes against our own, we shall forever be at the receiving end of those in power,” he added.
However, the MBF called on the federal government to review the allocation of institutions and resources in Kaduna State to ensure fairness and equity.
