The Catholic Bishop of Idah Diocese, His Lordship Bishop Anthony Ademu Adaji, has raised serious concerns over the worsening state of public primary and secondary schools in rural areas across Kogi State, particularly in Kogi East Senatorial District.

Speaking during the Chrism Mass at Saint Boniface Cathedral in Idah to commemorate the institution of the Catholic priesthood, Bishop Adaji lamented the alarming decay and deterioration of educational infrastructure in the state. He called on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to urgently address the situation and prioritize rural education development.

The visibly concerned cleric decried a situation where students in many public schools are forced to receive lessons and write examinations while sitting on bare floors, despite the government’s repeated claims of massive investments in the education sector over the past nine years.

“On a very serious note, you cannot get 5 per cent functional public schools in Kogi East, yet billions of naira are being budgeted for education year in, year out,” Bishop Adaji said. “In the last eight or nine years, it has been a total shamble in the area of education in rural communities in Kogi State.”

Bishop Adaji expressed dismay that less than 10 per cent of public schools across the state are truly functional, noting that Kogi East is the worst affected. He questioned the sincerity of the government’s claims about improvements in education and challenged officials not to judge the overall condition of schools by the relatively better standards seen in the state capital alone.

“Our concern is that the larger population of the people in Kogi State dwell in the rural areas, and regrettably, in such places, their educational system — especially secondary and primary schools — are in precarious situations at the detriment of the children we claim are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

Bishop Adaji urged Governor Ododo to extend his reported goodwill of regular salary payments to meaningful investment in education and infrastructure. He emphasized that a functional education system is essential for the state’s overall development.

“I am appealing to Governor Ododo that as he has started the goodwill of paying regular salaries to both state and local government workers, he should also include education and infrastructure as part of the mandate of his responsibility, as both are necessary for the development of Kogi State,” the Bishop concluded.

The Bishop’s emotional plea is expected to further ignite conversations around the state of education in Kogi, a sector many stakeholders have long described as neglected, especially in rural communities.