Obua cautions students of UTC Lira against strike
Obua inspecting parade mounted by students of UTC Lira
By Patrick Okino
Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua has urged students of Uganda Technical College Lira to avoid strikes and riots, instead focusing on building Uganda.
He highlighted that the country is facing challenges, but Ugandans should not think about leaving the country.
He emphasized that while some Ugandans consider leaving for countries like India, the Indians themselves are coming to Uganda to do business, which shows the value of the country.
“We are running away from Uganda but those citizen are coming while we run away from our country,” he said.
Obua stressed that students must question their actions, asking themselves whether their behavior, such as engaging in riots, would contribute to or harm the development of Uganda.
“It is you and me, either to build Uganda or break Uganda,” Obua said on Saturday 7th March while passing out 980 students who underwent patriotism training at the college in Lira City.
He encouraged them to embrace the core principles of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), including patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy.
He also acknowledged the role of the government in promoting patriotism and thanked President Yoweri Museveni and the Patriotism Secretariat for their efforts in reminding Ugandans about the country’s progress and future direction.
Obua urged the students to take advantage of government programs like Emyooga, which are designed to foster economic transformation in Uganda.
The college’s Principal, Jacob Akunbere, spoke about the importance of patriotism training, saying it teaches love for oneself, the community, and the country.
He also thanked the Ministry of Education, led by First Lady Janet Museveni, for integrating patriotism into the academic curriculum.
Akunbere highlighted challenges the college faces in becoming a full-fledged center of excellence for road construction. These challenges include the lack of crucial equipment such as low-bed trucks, tier rollers, and paver machines.
“With these machines, the college could become one of the best in Uganda for road construction,” he said.
He also pointed out that while the college has made progress in terms of new administration blocks, staff accommodations, hostels, classrooms, and a road unit, there are still dilapidated structures on campus, including buildings with hazardous “harvesters” roofing.
He appealed to the government for funding to renovate these buildings so that the college could reach its full potential.
