_When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state._
Euripides, Orestes
The above statement is the best way, in which the executive governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu Odunayo, whom the masses gave the mandate to pilot the affairs of things in the state for the next one year. Though last month, he celebrated his one year in office, but the question is, what has he been able to achieve after his one year in office?
Bola Bolawole said in the new telegraph published on Feb 21, 2018 that "Governor of my native Ondo State, Arakunrin (Mr.) Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu aka Aketi, will be one year in office on Saturday, 24th February. It has been one very drab and dreary year. Aketi has been damn too quiet and too, too cold for comfort. Is it that he is a silent worker and not a “noisemaker”, to quote President Muhammadu Buhari?Does he want his performance only to speak for him? He must be told that in politics, what is not seen to exist does not exist. He has to draw positive attention, if not to himself, then, to our state, and grab the headlines. Perception is vital; governance necessarily must be action-laden."
It must be noted that in the last one year that, Hitherto free delivery at the Mother and Child Hospital by the immediate past administration where pregnant women in the state had their safe delivery without paying any fee has now been abolished.
In the three senatorial districts of Ondo State, there have been pockets of security threats, ranging from Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, and lately the invasion of the state by Fulani herdsmen. The people of the state expected the government to have matched words with actions in ensuring the safety of lives and property of residents.
The continued silence of the governor in taking decisive action to curb the ravaging herdsmen, who have caused untold hardship in the state in the last one year has been criticised and condemned.
While speaking, the PDP Director of Media and Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, noted that Akeredolu did not prepare to govern the state, alleging that he had wasted one year on planning without any positive results.
“If I want to conclude in one sentence, how this government has performed in one year, I will say that it is nothing short of arrested development in the sense that nothing has happened.
The governor claimed to have constructed many roads within the state but till today, we never heard of any cases of road been awarded. The Aketi led administration has boasted of so many achievements in this last one year, I wondered why they have not been flaunting it on newspapers and news channels.
It's no longer news that the students of both the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko and The Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo, have not been able to resume from their indefinite holiday cum strike because of the plans of the state government to increase their school fees.
The AAUA Students' Union leadership was said to have had a closed door meeting with the chairman of the governing council of the AAUA, Dr. Tunji Abayomi and some other people, where it was said that the state government has proposed an increment in the tuition fee of the University to two hundred thousand Naira (200,000) from twenty three thousand, five hundred Naira (23,500) that was been paid.
Before I proceed let's take a critical look at the educational background of our Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Odunayo.
He, Akeredolu started his primary education at Government School, Owo. He proceeded to Aquinas College, Akure, Loyola College, Ibadan and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro , for his secondary school education and Higher School Certificate, respectively. He went on to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University ) to study Law, graduating in 1977. (dubbed from Wikipedia)
Taking a look at the about background, it would be noted that our governor attended the government schools throughout his educational career, which cost very little or nothing, because it was not until 2013, that the school was increased from 5,700 and 7,700 to 19,700 and 33,700 respectively.
In 2011, the acceptance fee was increased from 2000 to 20,000. Why are all these analysis needed. It's to show that the Aketi who's making education impossible for the masses of Ondo State Students benefitted from a relatively free educational system. Then, the question is?
What have we done wrong?
Are we wrong to have given you the mandate to lead us for the next four years?
Why do you, Aketi, want to stop the poor from getting educated?...
Aketi, during his speech at the 7th Convocation Ceremony of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, said his administration will continue to build on the legacy of the founding fathers in education by investing and giving priority to education,
He also at the ceremony said “We cannot afford to continue to churn out graduates who are basically unemployable by virtue of the defective nuggets of instruction with which they were trained.
“The huge presence of an ever-increasing army of unemployed graduates in our underdeveloped economy is embarrassing. We must take bold steps to reverse the unfortunate situation." from the statement above, it could be deduce that the decision to increase the tuition fee of the AAUA students was bore out of the wickedness of the state governor to stop the poor masses children from graduating and having access to one of their basic human right, which is right to education.
It would be noted that of recent the state government under the leadership of Arakunrin Akeredolu Oluwarotimi has stopped the payment of the Senior School Certificate Examination fee of students writing the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC). On the basis that “Government should fund education at the primary school level while parents should be responsible for the education of their children at the secondary and tertiary levels.” then, I wonder what has happened to the free education we once enjoy in this part of the federation. Over the years, successive governments had been responsible for the payment, which had been a huge relief to parents in the state. The new policy of the government to stop it has also been condemned by stakeholders in the education sector.
The Ondo state Government convened a 2-day education summit from the 26th of October and released a 19 point communiqué at the close on the 27th.
Below are some of the controversial recommendations of the summit ##Government should fund education at the Primary school level while parents should be responsible for the education of their children at the Secondary and Tertiary levels.
##There should be a review of chargeable fees in State’s tertiary institutions in line with the needs of each school and current economic realities.
##The Ministry should enforce the cancellation of automatic promotion of students in schools while the conduct of Joint SS2 promotion examination should be sustained to present qualified candidates for the school certificate examination.
##State Government; International Development Patners; Non Govermental Organisations; and spirited individuals should collaborate in the training and retraining of teachers; school Administrators/Education Managers in order to update their knowledge on contemporary issues on education.
##That a measurable parameter should be designed for the promotion of teachers while Teachers Biometric Attendance device should be designed to monitor their class attendance and enhance productivity.
Conclusively, I will like to leave my educated fellow elite, Arakunrin Akeredolu Oluwarotimi Odunayo with some educational quotes
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
Please don't deny us right to live
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
Please don't be an hinderance to our better tomorrow
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
Mr Governor please, be an instrument of the change you preached...
Shalom
I am Oluwole Sanjay Joy
National President, Federation of Ogbagi Students' Union
08165842224
oluwolejoy1@gmail.com
✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾
