Students in Ogun State have given a 21-day ultimatum to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State to appoint a substantive education commissioner or risk massive protest from the students.
This was the demand during a joint press conference held on Saturday, in Abeokuta by the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Ogun State axis.
The duo of National President of NOSS, Ogunrombi Oluwagbemileke, and the Chairman of NANS in the state, Bamgbose Tomiwa, lamented the continuous disregard for the persistent outcry from stakeholders by the governor.
The students maintained that despite their trust in the leadership of the governor to turn around the education sector in the state, they would not fold their arms any further until a commissioner was appointed.
They further demanded that such appointees should not be less than a professor and a core educationist, according to them, many of which were about in various higher institutions in Ogun State.
In their words, the vacuum in the ministry had been responsible for the underdevelopment of the education sector which had suffered “for long in the hands of those we described as nonprofessionals and emergency educationists who are just mere window dressers.”
The statement reads in part: “There have been calls from stakeholders, well-meaning members of the public and the student community in the state, urging the governor to as a matter of urgency save the education sector in the state by appointing a professor and an experienced educationalist as a substantive commissioner for education.
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“But, Governor Abiodun has not only remained adamant on the issue, he has also refused to come out publicly to address the issue, neither has he given any cogent reason why such an important Ministry like Education has remained without a substantive commissioner for over one year.
“We view the governor’s refusal to yield to these calls to mean one thing – disregard for the people of the state, especially the students who are the major stakeholders in the sector.
“We have so far tolerated this disregard for too long and we can no longer take it anyone, therefore, we want to issue a 21-day ultimatum to Governor Abiodun to appoint an experienced professor and a core educationalist as the substantive commissioner, failure of which we will embark on massive protests across the state until our request is met.
“The vacuum in the ministry has been responsible for the underdevelopment of the education sector in the state and as a major stakeholder in the education sector, we will not standby and fold our arms and watch the sector collapse as a result of the leadership vacuum in the Ministry of Education.
“We hereby demand that Governor Abiodun appoint an experienced educationalist who is not lesser than a professor as the commissioner to pilot the affairs of the Ministry of Education in the state.
“Preferably, the commissioner should be a male, to curb the obvious ego and disorderliness in the ministry.”
A commissioner-designate, Sidi Osho, was earlier appointed by the governor and passed through the screening of the House of Assembly, but was later dropped after issues surrounding her dismissal from Olabisi Onabanjo University became public.
