The immediate past Delta State Government promised to establish nine new Model Technical Colleges to boost skill acquisition among youths. With the completion and commencement of only three in 2022, the fate of the other six, currently uncompleted and apparently abandoned, lies in the dark, writes ELO EDREMODA.
A society where it has become imperative to be equipped with one or more skills, whether having academic qualifications or not, in order to survive the current economic trends, the need to avail young people with opportunities and environments where such skills can be honed becomes very crucial.
It was In a bid to address this need that the immediate past Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration approved the construction of 19 technical colleges, in addition to the existing six, in each Local Government Area of Delta state, were non existed.
If seen to the latter, the projects would mitigate the dearth of skilled youths, as well as address the issue of joblessness in the state.
Towards the twilight of the administration in 2021, the State Government kicked of the construction of nine Model Technical Colleges at Effurun (Uvwie), Asaba (Oshimili South), Obiaruku (Ukwuani), Omadino (Warri South), Irri (Isoko South), Orerokpe (Okpe), Akugbene (Bomadi), Oghareki (Ethiope West) and Kiagbodo (Burutu).
Three of these projects, all designed to offer boarding and day schooling, in Effurun, Asaba and Obiaruku, were completed and opened for admission by September 2022.
But the other six which have been built to different stages, appear to have been abandoned, causing disappointment among members of the host communities.
Checks by The Nation a couple weeks ago revealed that for about a year, most contractors handling the various projects sited in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) have not been to site.
Each of these colleges were designed to have an administrative building, classrooms, hostels, dinning halls, multi-purpose halls, clinics, residential buildings and landscaping.
A visit to three out of the six uncompleted project sites located at Omadino (Warri South LGA), Orerokpe (Okpe LGA) and Irri (Isoko South LGA) saw that the projects were abandoned at different stages.
On arrival at Omadino on Wednesday, January 17, this reporter saw labourers working on the fore building of the proposed technical college. They were working on the decking of the building.
Three other structures at the site appeared completed, having been painted. However, there were no activity on the other buildings which this reporter learnt had been abandoned for over a year.
It was learnt that the project at Omadino was contracted to five different contractors, whose names could not be ascertained.
The youth president of Omadino, an oil-rich Itsekiri community, Francis Omaro, who conducted this reporter around the vicinity expressed disappointment over the development.
According to him, the construction of the project was supposed to take only a year, but while other schools have taken off for over a year now, the community had no idea when theirs would be completed.
“When they came to Omadino community town hall, they made us to understand that anybody should not come here to disturb this site. Because before one year, they want to complete the job. The community did according to what was discussed at the town hall. But we are not seeing improvement in the work.
“There was a time we reached out to a brother in Asaba, we brought the media to cover it. After some time this very contractor (working at the fore building) came to work. After some time again, they left. Before they came this past November.
“The community is fed up because we expect that before this time they would have completed the project. We gave them all the support as a community so that the project can be fast, but we are not seeing improvement,” Omaro lamented.
He called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to look towards the direction of the technical college and fast track the completion.
“We want the State Government to focus on it because this is the only thing they have given to us. Omadino is an oil producing community but we are not seeing anything from the government. This one they decided to give to us, we are seeing no improvement. Government should please get the contractors to site,” he urged.
The following day’s visit to the project site at Orerokpe was met with overgrown weeds and no work progression.
Unlike its Omadino counterpart that had a constructed entrance, this one just had a motorable pathway leading to the buildings.
Reliable sources in the community who spoke with this reporter disclosed that the contractor had some challenges with the environment where the project is sited.
According to one of the sources who spoke off record, the area is terribly swampy during the rainy season, a development that was not envisaged by the contractor. The source added that this led to a pause in the construction as the contractor seeks an upward review of the project to enable delivery.
Another community source who corroborated this claim, expressed optimism that the project would be completed as soon Governor Sheriff Oborevwori settles into office fully.
Newly elected Chairman of Orerokpe community, Ogheneochuko Ejijona, who promised to avail this reporter with details of the project, as well as the the name of the contractor on a later day, did not take calls nor reply a text message to his line, days later.
The technical college sited at Irri community is situated along the Irri-Aviara Road. It spots a fenced, defined entrance, roofed buildings, some with window and door fittings, others without. It could not be ascertained when work stopped at the place.
A community leader who spoke in confidence with The Nation said the place was hurriedly cleared to enable access by the Commissioner for Technical Education, Hon. Joan Onyemaechi, who visited the site shortly after their inauguration last year.
Imaty-Doma Consults Nigeria Limited is the contractor handling the Model Technical College, Irri, as indicated on the signpost mounted at the entrance.
The community leader revealed that in an effort to find out what was delaying the project, the reason learnt was “poor funding and reevaluation of the project. That the contractor had overspent what he was mobilised”.
“The Commissioner for Education visited before August, and she was furious and said they were not going to take it likely. But maybe because the contractor is a big politician, they decided to take it likely.
“A bit to when the commissioner was to come, the place was like a deserted forest, the way grasses and trees had grown all over the place. When she gave notice of her visit, they made efforts to make the place accessible for her,” the community leader stated.
Recalling the excitement that greeted news that such a project would be sited in their community, he added, “as they mobilized to site, the rate of land in that area skyrocketed from N400,000 to N700,000 because people knew that the school would bring development to that area”.
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Positing that by deserting the project, “the destinies of several Isoko children have been abandoned,” the community leader enjoined Governor Oborevwori to call the contractors to order.
“It’s high time the Governor calls contractors to account for their projects. This will make education cheaper for the people.
“I will urge the Governor to call the contractor to account and finish this project so that it can create employment and open windows for those who want to learn vocational training because that is the reason this school is sited here.
“What is there shows the destiny of most Isoko people is abandoned as regards this project,” the Irri indigene asserted.
When reached for comments, the Commissioner for Technical Education, Hon Joan Onyemaechi, stated that the projects were not abandoned.
Declining repeatedly to be put on record, she disclosed that she visited the college sites last year and “there’s no project abandoned”.
Onyemaechi who did not divulge information on certain aspects of the projects, as according to her, she only took over commissioner duties of the Ministry last year, referred this reporter to her predecessor, Gbubemi Ikolo, when asked about the contract sum of each of the uncompleted technical colleges.
Also, asked about the request for project reevaluation by the contractors, she stated that it would not be sensible for her to tell “what is in the file of government, if contractors wrote to the governor” for an upward review of their contracts.
She further stated that because she does not work under the State’s Civil Service Commission, she could not confirm or deny claims that recruitment had been concluded for the uncompleted Model Technical Colleges.
Meanwhile, the then State Government disclosed that 518 teaching and non-teaching staff were recruited for the three newly established technical colleges, before their take-off in 2022.
It would be noted that prior to their establishment, the Okowa-led administration in 2018 said that “over N3 billion” was spent on “infrastructural upgrade and supply (and in some cases refurbishment of equipment)” of the six existing Technical Colleges located in Agbor (Ika South), Ofagbe (Isoko North), Sapele (Sapele), Kwale (Ndokwa West ), Ogor (Ughelli North) and Issele-Uku (Aniocha North).
On completion of the six technical colleges, as envisioned, there would be 10 LGAs left in the State to have same projects, affording, relatively, all young Deltans, especially those whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford the soaring cost of tertiary education, an opportunity to easily acquire requisite skills, alongside academic qualifications that could see them through life.
Last year, Governor Oborevwori proposed “N46.55 billion on education” in his 2024 budget presentation. Time would tell if the abandoned and uncompleted six Model Technical Colleges would see the light of day.
