Groundnut University Effurun

4/08/09
Groundnut University Effurun
“can a government be this sensitive”.
I was reading the Sunday papers and in one of them, a writer made mention in passing this phrase which I title my piece with today.
Firstly, there is no university yet by the name groundnut University, I am sure if there is, and their lecturers dont join ASUU strike, then they should expect many students.
The crux of the matter is this, the petroleum training institute is in Effurun, a town in delta state Nigeria, they have run like a university offering very cool courses, that many universities get to recruit from there, so this does not only mean that they have cool courses it means many of their products earn cool cash.
I do not know who is lying or version to believe, but a group of people cried out about some weeks ago claiming that the petroleum training Institute will soon be taken to Kaduna, and trust Nigerians it fuelled the fire inside of them, ready to hold the irresponsible responsible.
Government has debunked the rumours, but the explanation is not clear, they claim the institute will remain but that another programme by NNPC is being run in Kaduna, this is as against the gist that it was only a course of the PTI, effurum or a satellite campus, but whatever that is God dey.
The whole story is not interesting talk less of impressive but now the writer I read, said, if they are to situate a groundnut University, can they situate it in Effurun? Meaning Groundnut grows in the North and whoever wants to learn about it, should be in the North and vice versa, i.e. whoever wants to be Petroleum Trained should go to the East or wherever the oil is, factors of Demand and supply I guess, closeness to raw material.
I beg to disagree on a note, you do not have to be where it is to learn a thing, I know many men with diverse tongues, did they have to go there, Must I live in England to speak English or France to speak French or even our own nature Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo being taught in universities abroad.
My friends, oil is being transported to Kaduna, there is a semi-refinery or say oil depot there, permit my qualification, but if the time were right or people themselves strive and pure, PTI in Kaduna might not have been a bad idea, but now imagine Groundnut University in Effurun, Trust Dangote, His Lorries would ferry the nuts down.