The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Kaduna State chapter, has kicked against the citing of four new federal high institutions of learning in Zaria.

The MBF, which cried out over alleged marginalization of other parts of Kaduna, particularly Southern Kaduna, blamed the development on the Speaker of the House of Representative, Tajuddeen Abbas.

The Forum spoke in a statement issued on Sunday by its chairman, Mr Luka Binniyat.

“Such a development, though a positive one, falls short of our commendation and praise because it is insensitive and inconsiderate of other zones, especially the Middle Belt Area of Kaduna State (Southern Kaduna).

“The media is awash with news of their groundbreaking ceremony last Sunday, December 15, 2024, in Zaria where Speaker Abbas announced that N80 billion has been allocated for the construction of the schools which are expected to be completed within 18 months.

“The Schools are Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery; Federal College of Education, Federal Open University and Federal College of Legal Studies.”

The MBF lamented that the new institutions will now be added to about 15 federal educational institutions already located in Zaria.

“And when it comes to Zone 2, with Kaduna town as its fulcrum, there are no less than 10 Federal Institutions of learning.

“Yet, Southern Kaduna, which is made up of 12 LGAs straddling parts of Zone 2 and the entire Zone 3 – where most of the educated and skilled manpower of the state is derived from, has only one federal institution: Federal School of Statistics, Manchok.

“This is in exclusion of the Nigeria Army and Naval Training Schools in Kachia that’s basically for combatants soldiers,” the statement added.

The MBF drew the attention of all Nigerians, the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu, to what it described as the “prohibitive favouritism that a tiny section of Kaduna State is enjoying over the majority”.

Insisting that Southern Kaduna should be treated fairly, the MBF expressed concern over the process that led to the establishment of the new federal institutions in Zaria.

“This is because we have never heard of any of these bills that ought to have eventually produced these schools being presented at any plenary of either the red or green chambers.
We have certainly not seen any invitation to a Public Hearing on them.

“Unlike the Bill for the Establishment of University of Applied Sciences, Manchok, Kaura LGA in Southern Kaduna, sponsored by Sen. Sunday Marshall Katung (representing Kaduna South Senatorial Zone). His Bill has been of intense public view at the NASS plenary sessions, for which a Public Hearing was convened. We therefore do not know if there are waivers for certain class of Federal Legislators when they propose the same Bills.”

The MBF expressed shock that a single city, already inundated with federal schools, should again be granted four more at a go. The group wondered why no one is asking questions.

“Speaker Abbas should be reminded that as the Speaker, House of Representative, his constituency has expanded beyond Zaria town to include the entire country, especially Kaduna state where he comes from.

“This development should be instructive to Southern Kaduna, where the majority of our people are still wrongfully suffering from the minority complex and have refused to take the advantage of their numerical strength and push for power in the state.

“As long as we insist on playing the second fiddle in Kaduna State at every general election by disaggregating our votes against our own, we shall forever be at the receiving end of those in power.”