Nigeria: Iwo deserves College of Education

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:48 pm

An afterthought indeed it is for any official to feign ignorance of the location of the Federal College of Education at Iwo when all the six letters were signed on the same date for each of the six geopolitical zones.

How can it go to Ila Orangun where the Federal Police College is sited and where Osun State College of Education is located? Is the new College of Education meant to occupy the structures God enabled me to put in place while serving there as Chairman of its Governing Council 1986-1989?

Would it be just and equitable to rob the most populous town in the state of the first higher education centre from either the Federal or State government simply because the town has not produced a governor? No doubt that a disinterested response to each of the foregoing questions will affirm that the President who approves and Minister who recommends as well as the sitting Governor who will want equitable distribution of organs of development in his state made no mistake at all in making Iwo a metropolis from the nineteenth century to be the proper location of the College.

The conspiracy theory of afterthought mentioned above is manifest in the fact that some members of the party who hold key political positions nationwide from the state and who are not known to be well-wishers for the success of Oyetola have been canvassing for the location of the College at Ila-Orangun to honour Chief Bisi Akande and undermine the political strategy of the Governor.

Such lawmakers should have learnt something from their colleague Wole Oke representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency who had secured approval for the location of the College in Ibokun in 2010 and the project was captured in the Appropriation Act of 2011 but because he was not in the House in the 8th National Assembly, the matter got dropped and forgotten. Now that he is back in the House, he also fought for it to still be located at Ibokun but acted like a good sportsman by congratulating Iwo and appreciating Chief Bisi Akande for acting a statesman and doffing his hat for Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola for his political wisdom.

However, those who want to embarrass the state masterminded the people of Ila to go and muscle up Chief Bisi Akande.

The intention here is not to diminish my esteem for Ila Orangun where I have left a legacy of the construction of the School of Science and taking the administrative structure beyond the Damp Proof Course level as well as completing the external work of the School of Arts.

All these were achieved through total commitment to probity and accountability as this is documented in the records of the College.

It is a town I cherish, especially for the goodness of the then Orangun of Ila, Oba William Adeyeni, Ariwajoye, who stood in loco parentis for me throughout my tenure and who along with the Foundation Chairman of the Governing Council, Hon. Justice Bola Babalakin (rtd), both were honoured with the highest accolade of the College during its Convocation.

There should be no tussle between Ila and Iwo because history tells us that both Oluwo and Orangun were full brothers and that is why when an Orangun had difficulty on the throne, it was Iwo he took as asylum and for which there is Ile-Orangun in Iwo from time immemorial till date.

(Guardian)