Changing fortunes of Govt College Bida
GOVERNMENT College, Bida has a long enviable history, especially within Northern Nigeria. Established in 1912, the school has produced eminent personalities within and outside the country. The institution has among her old boys two former Heads of State - Generals Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar. Both passed out from the college in 1962, along with other restired Senator Muhammadu Magoro, Muhammed Gado Nasko, Emir of Zuru Sani Sami, Garba Duba Garba Duba, among others. Another of their colleague is retired Colonel Sani Bello.
In the judiciary, the college has produced former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, Justice Jibrin Ndajiwo, Justice Abdullahi Mustapha and late Usman Mohammed Kusherki. In the academics, there are Professors Musa Abdullahi; Mohammed Dakota; A. I Kolo and M. T. A Suleiman.
In diplomatic circles, it produced late Ambassador James Tsado Kolo, Ambassadors Abdulraham Gara, Buba Ahmed, Yunusa Paiko and Aliyu Yerima.
In politics, the college has people like Professor Jerry Gana, Ibrahim Tako, Senator Awaisu Kuta and Isa Mohammed Waziri. Also, in journalism, it has Mohammed Haruna, Abiodun Angulu, Usman Magawata and Jimmy Atteh.
In the royalty, there is the Emir of Suleja, Malam Auwal Ibrahim; Emir of Kontagora Alhaji Sa’idu Namaska; the Etsu Lapai and late Mohammed Kobo ( one time Headmaster of the school). In the business circle, the school produced people like, Chief L. A. Lodeji, M. I Yahaya and the present General Manager of Dunlop Nigerian Ltd.
The school, Weekly Trust gathered, started as Elementary School Bida on November, 12, 1912. It has however witnessed a series of nomenclature changes and status transformation.
Weekly Trust gathered that from 1914 to 1929, the elementary school metamorphosed into Niger Provincial School, Bida; from 1930 to 1954, it became Niger Middle School. And the years between 1954 and 1966, it was upgraded to Provincial Secondary School, Bida from 1966 to date, it has remained Government College, Bida.
Government College, Bida which had its centenary celebration last year, started with only two classrooms under the management of the defunct Bida Native Authority before it became a boarding school in 1918 with thatched round huts as dormitories.
Malam Ahmadu Abubakar, according to records, was the first Headmaster of the Elementary School, while Mr. J. Bienenam, an Assistant Director of Education in the Northern Region opened the college as Niger Provincial School.
Government College, Bida had to close shop in 1914 when the First World War broke out, not for fear of the war, but because the then Principal Mr. M. N. Oakes had to join the British Army.
Weekly Trust also gathered that the college experienced another closure in 1921 owing to economic recession. And from 1946 to 49, there was an attempt to make it a co- educational college with the first few female students admitted, but it turned out to be the first and last admission for female students there.
Since then to date, the college has undergone both academic and physical structure development, but much of the development in the school is credited to the Bida Old Students Association ( BOSA). It was gathered that the association has carried out several intervention projects in the college.
Weekly Trust observed on inspection of the school premises that BOSA is the lifeline of the college at present because every single available structure from the principal’s office to students’ toilets were renovated and equipped by the old boys.
Though, the Principal of the college, Isa Liman Doko, declined media comments, statistics from a book comprising the lists of the old boys of the college indicated that from 1912 to date, about 20,000 students passed out from the school.
Prominent among the works carried by the BOSA is the construction of a library, five blocks of two bedroom twin flats for teachers and the provision of two giant standby generators for the college.
It was also observed that the library constructed during the regime of General Babangida was named after him, while the new blocks of staff quarters was built when General Abdulsalami was in office, hence named after him as well.
However, some sources claimed that the two former leaders financed the construction of each of the edifices named after them, hence the decision of the old boys to emulate them as a way of paying back what they have been given by the school.
The Secretary General of the Bida Old Students Association, Alhaji ( Dr.) Mohammadu Agwain told Weekly Trust that the contribution of the former two Heads of state, on the Library that was named after General Babangida which is at present undergoing renovation work assisted in the completion of the project.
But he added that the construction of the Library was first begun by the BOSA.
Dr. Agwain said there was a time when General Babangida, during one of his state visits to Niger State, decided to pay an unscheduled visit to the Government College Bida, being his former school, adding that when the former president came to the college, the construction work on the Library which BOBA conceived, because of its pivotal role in academic environment, had already began. Agwain said it was during this visit to the school that Babangida directed for the immediate completion of the library and, of course, a complete renovation of the school.
The five blocks of two- bedroom twin flats that were newly constructed at the staff quarters of the school for staff accommodation, were also executed through the old boys’ association, though financed by General Abdulsalami while he was in office.
Dr. Agwain said the BOSA is currently facing cash crunch for the intervention programmes in the college in order to maintain the tempo, adding that the association is now looking inwards to provide a permanent solution toward maintaining the college.
He noted that it was not feasible for the old boys association to keep depending on members alone for funding, saying the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) is currently executing some projects that include the expansion of the IBB Library to accommodate e- Library section.
The intervention from the CBN, he noted, has tremendously assisted the college because as at present the perennial low power voltage that in the past almost brought the school to its knees has been checked. According to him, the apex bank has supplied the college with not only a transformer, but also built a befitting hostel for corps members posted to the school.
Agwain said also other plans in the offing include the introduction of scholarship to both students and teachers of the college, adding that the wisdom behind including teachers in the scheme is to give them a morale booster with the expectation that they will put in their best while discharging their duties.
He further said the state government is also intervening in the development effort.
Another member of the association Malam Mohammed Abubakar Tanko Suleman told Weekly Trust that the association is assisting the school. He said Government College Bida is big with a large compound, comparable to a higher institution, as such a lot needs to be done to complement the efforts of government.
He commended the coming on board of the association, saying it has greatly fostered unity among the old members, even though the unity has not yet deepened because of the reluctance of the old boys in joining the association, adding that “even those who have tried to become members ended up becoming inactive.”
Abubakar M. Dogo, another member of the BOSA who also concurred with Suleiman, said since the inception of the organization, it has been the same set of people who had been helping in financing the association.
Dogo further argued that if those who had been shouldering the responsibility decide to stop, the association would naturally die.
He counseled that to avoid this scenario, all old boys must be committed to the course of the association and by extension the college.
According to him, in the past there were state chapters of the association, but due to the nonchalant attitude of members across the country, virtually all chapters are now inactive, thereby making the chances for continuity of these state chapters very slim.