The visitation panels recently constituted by Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State obviously dismantled my prolonged silence on political and contemporary issues. The fact-finding emissary to government-owned tertiary institutions, namely; Imo State University Owerri, Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu and Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo, is expediently cheering news for lovers of quality education and excellence in scholarship.

Imo undisputedly occupies a pride of place in education given her human and intellectual endowment. Though the South East as a whole stands tall in terms of intellectual depository, Imo has over time made an outstanding difference.

Recalling vividly, the former Deputy Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, promised to sanitise, rejig and reposition educational sector during his campaigns. Though the immediate past administration boasted of taking education to a higher height through a free education policy, the fact remains that Imo noticeably lost its prime position going by the recent survey and rating in the sector. This probably dominated the governor’s mind when he promised to systematically entrench a new order to revive and reposition the sector upon his assumption as the chief-servant of Imo State.

Vowing to make a difference in the sector, Gov. Ihedioha vowed “to establish Imo State Education Trust Fund to promote free and qualitative education, massively retrain, reorient and motivate existing teachers and recruit new ones especially in the areas of science and technology, cut teacher/student ratio to 1/40 max (from 1/60), provide grant-in-aid to churches, voluntary agencies and private investors to upgrade the standard of schools they own.”

He also promised “to deliver a Technical / Trade School in each local government, ensure an adequate subvention to Imo State University and Imo State Polytechnic, introduce Postgraduate Scholarships to outstanding indigent students of Imo State origin to enhance human capital development as well as secure exchange programmes with reputable international universities/colleges for Imo tertiary institutions.”

While the governor prepares to lift up the state-owned tertiary institutions by implementing these well-thought-out interventions and entrench a globally accepted practices to enhance quality education and learning at the tertiary level, it is imperative and behoving that he collates and study carefully vital information regarding the existence and operations of the institutions.

There are hidden and mostly sensitive issues hallmarking the Imo State University Owerri, Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu and Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo that need to be administratively conveyed to the knowledge of the governor/visitor before implementing his re-build plans for the affected institutions. As an administrator ostensibly guided by protocols and administrative candor, Gov. Ihedioha merely brought his bureaucratic ingenuity and sincerity of purpose to the fore by engaging individuals of proven integrity to carry out such sensitive assignment for the government of Imo State.

For emphasising that the constitution of the panels was neither to probe nor witch-hunt anybody but a necessity to enhance the quality of education and ensure overall growth and development of the state, the governor again proved his patriotism and vision for a better Imo.

By also charging the panels “to identify the strength and problems of the institutions and make appropriate recommendations to the visitor; ascertain the operations of various departments and units; look into cases of procurement and complaints bordering on cliquish and cultism in the institutions; investigate students’ complaints on various issues as well as conduct internal audits on institutions’ finances,” the governor institutionally laid a lasting foundation that will usher in a new order and systematically fast-track academic reforms in the government owned tertiary institutions.

Before the emergence of Ihedioha as governor, virtually all the state-owned tertiary institutions were copiously riddled with challenges, unbridled corruption and administrative inefficiency. It is public knowledge that academic fortunes are retrogressively inhibited and probably threatened by these cankerworms as attested by some concerned stakeholders.

The governor equally alluded to this impropriety while inaugurating the panels when he said:

“At the inception of this administration, we were inundated with a plethora of complaints on the education sector in the state, especially at the tertiary level. And as a responsive government, we felt that we would be abdicating our obligation to the people if we do not look into these complaints.

“For these reasons, we deemed it necessary to respond to these hues and cries by looking into the operations of these critical institutions. The setting up of these Institutions’ Visitation Panels is in furtherance of our mission to rebuild our educational institutions. By these, we hope to achieve effective governance institutions as well as strengthen educational services delivery and processes in these tertiary institutions. Today, therefore, we are inaugurating the visitation panels to these Imo State flagship institutions of higher learning to salvage them from sliding down the precipice of total collapse.”

It is therefore expected that all stakeholders and authorities within the system should rally round the governor by cooperating with the visitation panels thus enabling them deliver on their terms of reference. No administration or administrator implements a reformative agenda without accessing information deemed critical and crucial that drive positive result at the end. This is as no government ever conscious of success and efficiency commits its scarce resources amid uncertainty.

The choice of non-indigenes as members of the Visitation Panels, which the governor said is “to ensure impartiality in the considerations of the issues that would be brought before them”, engenders a conducive atmosphere for anyone with useful information and ideas within the system to volunteer freely devoid of witch-hunt and for the greater good of the state.

It is therefore expected that those grumbling lecturers and staff of Imo State University will avail themselves this golden opportunity to communicate their grievances or perceived rots suspected to have eaten up the system. Some analysts still believe that the immediate past administration retarded the gains and progress made by the institution by introducing what they describe as “un-planned free education” in the university. There is also a skewed belief that a particular section of the state has dominated the leadership of the university for a long time.

The Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo is not exempted as it has been enmeshed in an administrative confusion and internal wrangling. There are also issues of funding and accreditation of programmes. The opportunity of exposing and resolving these challenges with ease has presented itself with the inauguration of the visitation panel.

The Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu is not also spared of troubles. As a matter of fact, the immediate past administration merely abandoned the institution given the volume of challenges it reportedly posed to the government. There is also the belief that the past administration was never committed to moving the institution ahead.

The above and other unforeseeable reasons may have midwifed the essence and the timeliness of the visitation panels as constituted by Gov. Emeka Ihedioha. The outcome and recommendations shall no doubt turn things around in the government tertiary institutions if properly implemented.

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