The Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) has called on the Kogi State Government to stop paying lip service to education and urgently declare a state of emergency in the state’s education and transportation sectors.
The organisation said teachers remain the backbone of every functional society, noting that every doctor, lawyer, engineer, judge, governor and president passed through the hands of teachers.
In a statement to mark the 2026 World Teachers’ Day, the Executive Director of CHRCR, Idris Miliki Abdul, said government could not claim to be serious about human capital development while schools remained understaffed, infrastructure deteriorated and students struggled to afford transportation.
“Teachers are great people. Without teachers, there will be no doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, governors and even presidents,” Abdul said.
He challenged the Kogi State Government to immediately recruit more teachers, particularly for basic schools, warning that allowing classrooms to remain understaffed would further undermine the quality of education in the state.
CHRCR also demanded improved welfare for teachers, insisting that those entrusted with educating future generations deserve better treatment, working conditions and institutional support.
The organisation equally raised the alarm over the burden of transportation on students and their parents, following the sharp increase in fuel prices.
It called on the state government to provide affordable transportation for students across the 21 local government areas, arguing that the cost of getting to school should not become another barrier to education.
“Many families can no longer comfortably bear the cost of transportation. Government cannot fold its arms while students are punished by the rising cost of getting to school,” CHRCR said.
The group further demanded urgent rehabilitation of dilapidated schools and improvement of educational facilities across the state.
Turning its attention to transportation, CHRCR accused the state government of abandoning public transportation to private operators without providing an effective alternative for residents.
The organisation questioned the role of the Ministry of Transportation in addressing the worsening hardship faced by commuters, particularly at a time when rising fuel prices continue to drive up transport fares.
CHRCR said the collapse of the inherited Confluence Transport Company was a major setback, lamenting that the company had become moribund while its workers were pushed into the labour market.
It argued that the situation was unacceptable in a state where government should be providing affordable and accessible transportation as part of its responsibility to citizens.
“For about a decade, Kogi has failed to meaningfully improve its public transportation system. The inherited Confluence Transport is dead, and its workers have been thrown into the labour market.
“This is not the time for excuses. The government must act.”
CHRCR therefore called on the Kogi State Government to declare a state of emergency in the transport sector, revive functional public transportation and take advantage of relevant Federal Government initiatives and successful interventions by other states.
The organisation said government must urgently reduce the economic pressure on residents rather than leaving citizens at the mercy of escalating transport fares.
It stressed that investment in education and transportation was not charity but a fundamental responsibility of government and an investment in the future of Kogi State.
