By Efe Duku

Some dividends of democracy are not served free or a la carte. At the federal level, the federating units sometimes get what they think they deserve or what they desire through smart elective and appointive representative leadership. It is often a matter of tough struggles, lobbying, and negotiation.

When the idea of establishing ONE Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences in the South South came, every state in the region naturally wanted it to be situated in their domain. Consequently, a quiet lobby ‘war’ started.

Convinced of the benefits of the university to any state that would win the contest, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, CFR, launched out with a granite will to win. Whereas some states had their Governors and Governments directly lobbying for the university, Omo-Agege only had a clear vision and a well-organised strategy to win the contest, and he won indeed.

Today, the university is sitting pretty quietly in Kwale, Delta State. Making incremental progress, it has started recruitment of personnel for its effective takeoff.

The story of this university shall be told in fuller detail in the future. The summary is that it is a testimony to an effective political leadership grounded in Omo-Agege’s innovative and smart mind and his capacity to go for and win big-ticket deals for the people.

We happily encourage our qualified people, especially young people with an interest in academia, to seize this recruitment opportunity that the university is offering.