Osun: Celebrating products of hangover

By HANNAH BOLADALE

The people of Osun really deserve another round of congratulations having been delivered from eight dark years of genocidal ‘government unusual’. Indeed, many unusual things happened in those years that are worth celebrating, at least by the bungee jumper former governor and his fellow spoilers who plundered the state silly and also used its future as collateral for every kind of loan and bond accessible.

Unusual and unprecedented in the history of Osun are the defective mega schools built by the immediate past administration, with major structural defects that pose serious danger to the lives of school children and the teachers. Staircases, which are meant to be one of the strongest parts of any structure that tie the rest of the structure together, are in terrible conditions in a number of these mega schools. Tiles are giving way for the deep-lying sand to find expression, roofs are opening up for the incursion of natural elements, windows that should last decades are falling off a few years after installation.

Sadly, when an administration that cares about the safety and security of lives and properties opted to conduct integrity tests on the buildings as part of measures to forestall unexpected tragic outcomes, the bloodthirsty goons of ‘Mr Somebody’ shot out of their cocoons to defend the indefensible including the former Works and Transport Commissioner who was busy grandstanding that he was a fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers (as if that was a license to kill).

An administration that means well for the education sector of Osun, probably would have done a holistic appraisal of the sector to mark its critical needs and address them appropriately, rather than floating policies that are products of hangover and building glorified deathtraps at the expense of recruiting teachers, renovating old school structures, and paying teachers’ salaries and pensions.

Guess the courage demonstrated by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in revisiting some of the state’s education policies and listening to the yearnings of the people, remains a shocking feat that has sent shivers down the spines of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his cronies who are now looking for ways to guard their howlers.

Oyetola is recruiting new teachers without jeopardising the welfare of the old ones, renovating school blocks and building new ones, equipping schools with necessary educational needs, strengthening technical and vocational education and training by upgrading structures and facilities of government technical colleges for effective service delivery; all to the displeasure of his arrogant predecessor who feels he has done what no man can do.

If only he was mindful of schools in rural areas, like Community Grammar School, Ikonifin, a town in Ola-Oluwa Local Government of the state, where his attack dogs are beginning to float the toga of “Lord Ogbeni” as the only governor that remembered the school in their low estate after its construction in 1979 by Chief Bola Ige in the old Oyo State. Yet, all the school’s buildings are dilapidated and with just about four teachers to five hundred students.

Even foremost educationists like the respected Professor Olu Aina, admitted that with Oyetola, a lot of work is going on across different sectors and education is having the required human face it deserves in the state. This is in spite of the lean purse available to him.

The gentleman governor is going about his business of providing good governance, cleaning up after his predecessor without joining issues with anyone. Sadly, the stone-hearted goons of the former governor are not in any way bothered about the welfare and wellbeing of citizens. The lives of Osun people do not matter to them as much as the cheap political points they intend to score. It didn’t matter to their principal anyway, because if it did, he wouldn’t be celebrating death traps as his legacy. Didn’t they say wisdom comes with age? So why are some people desperate to be called and recognised as leaders when their age is not accompanied with anything wise?

*Boladale writes from Osogbo, Osun State