PARADIGM SHIFT.Is APC about to lose Ogun State too?
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“Paradigm Shift is a
change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a
transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather it
is driven by agents of change”…Thomas Kuhn
Just as former Governor
of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has described Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s
plans as panic-driven, which potrays that the state government is already
jittery following outcome of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State. Daniel
said Labour Party (LP) has already planned to re-absorb all those who were
unjustly sacked by Amosun-led administration when it assumed office in the
state by 2015.
The former governor
spoke yesterday during the meeting of LP held at Ijebu Central Federal
Constituency in Odogbolu.
“It was after I
disclosed that all those who were unjustly sacked by the state government would
be re-absorbed into workforce of the state civil service that Amosun-led
administration hurriedly announced its plans to do same. This to me, assigns
that the government is already jittery and must have gone back to the drawing
boards by making promises like it did in 2011 without any intention to redeem.”
Daniel added that the
stadium in Ijebu Ode, which was initially named after Otunba Mike Adenuga, but
later renamed Dipo Dina International Stadium, was part of mischief of the
present administration, stressing that it was named after Adenuga because he
agreed to maintain both the facility and fund the state-owned Gateway Football
Club.
He, therefore, asked
that if Amosun-led administration is sincere, why refused to prosecute those arrested
for allegedly connection with Dina’s murder three years after.
“Who is the beneficiary
of Dipo Dina’s murder and why the hurried renaming of the stadium after him?
This calls for probe by all well-meaning security agencies to unravel the
mystery surrounding death of the former governorship candidate of Action
Congress (AC) in 2007.”
With these pronouncement
from the former governor and other well meaning stakeholders, the cabinet
of Governor Amosun is beginning to readjust their political strategies and as
well taking their campaigns to the grass root level.
Ogun State Governor, Senator
Ibikunle Amosun as we learnt, has approved the purchase of new cars and
furniture allowance, effective from July, to all the 236 councillors in the
state.He has also asked them to come up with a proposal for a capital project
to be executed in each ward. Amosun, while addressing all the councillors in the
state, including the 15 non-APC members, said he was very concerned about the
people in the grassroots, whom he described as the bedrock for thriving
governance. He challenged the councillors to see themselves as ambassadors of
the people at the grassroots and charged them to have clear vision for their
wards. He said he is not unmindful of the fact that the organ of government at
the grassroots must have necessary incentives, tools and enabling environment
to achieve meaningful development, adding that this explains the government’s
gesture. The Governor charged them to replicate the rebuilding mission of his
administration in their respective wards and explained that the proposed
projects would be funded by the government and executed by the councillors.”Governance
for me is not all about a party or just the governor but ensuring that we break
through political barriers to meet the needs of our people,” he stated. Hon.
Akinsola Idris, majority leader of Ward 8, Abeokuta North was grateful to the
governor for the good gesture which he said is unprecedented, assuring that
they are now poised to take the rebuilding mission to the grassroots. Also,
Hon. Akeem Sodunke from Ota said the governor has indeed formed an all
inclusive government that is void of discrimination. According to him, no
government in the state has ever given the welfare of the people at grassroots
priority as the Amosun administration.
Then the war on
education from Amosu rages on
The situation of things
in OOU at present can best be imagined than felt. While there is no denying the
fact that academically and infrastructure-wise, OOU has improved, the reality
on ground however is that OOU is sitting on a keg of gun-powder, and the
explosion can be very devastating.
First, the contribution
of the Ogun state government to the development and maintenance of the
university is ZERO. While tuition fee was increased, one would have thought the
increment would make the state government pay more attention to the development
of the school, but the reverse is the case; not only is the Ogun state
government not contributing a dime to the development of the school, it has
said it would no longer pay even the salaries of the university staff.
While noticeable changes
can be seen in the school since Professor Saburi Adesanya took over the reins
of the university (the university now has hostels in mini campus, the hostels
in the main campus are nearing completion, a standard university library is
under construction, the sports center is fully equipped with standard
equipments and standard gym, and various buildings are under construction), the
fear is that just like other Vice Chancellors before him failed because their
state government left them to face the ‘cold’ alone, the current VC is being
set up to fail too. Why? The salaries of the past three months of the
university staff were paid with money from the university account; money meant
to develop the school and manage the day to day running of the university. Now,
if the money supposed to be used for the daily running of the university is
used to pay salaries, what happens to the school? Already, reliable information
has it that as a result of using university funds to pay salaries, by August
2014, the university would hit rock bottom financially. The implication is
that, the university would be forced to jerk up tuition fees even higher,
leading to ‘crisis’ in the university which would stem from the inevitable
protest against the hike by students.
Now, on the 31st of May
2014, the State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun claimed that he had committed
N21.6 billion as subvention to its universities in the past three years.
Nothing could be further from the truth than that! Despite the fact that
Governor Amosun allocated more than 20% of his budget on education, it has just
been words on paper; it has failed to translate into reality. The projects
being executed so far has been as a result of the magnanimity of the various
education bodies and the interventions of TETFund and other bodies, not
forgetting the amount raked in from the hike in fees, un-refunded money, etc.
Even the commercial cab drivers pay N100 daily as their contribution to the
development of the school. The bottom line is that everyone is toiling and
struggling, everyone is paying heavily to ensure that this university regains
its status as a leading university in this country and beyond; everybody but
the state government charged with the responsibility of developing, maintaining
and improving the university.
As things stand in OOU,
the least amount being paid by each student is N109,000, while some students
pay as high as N250,000 per session. The normal system is that, the higher you
go, the lower your tuition fee becomes. But in the OOU of today, the higher you
go, if you are lucky, you continue to pay the astronomical fees you paid in
your Year 1, or if you are not so lucky (like most students), you pay higher
fees.
The views from OOU and
the comments of OOU students is that they are tired. When students are pushed
to the wall, they would be left with no option but to fight back. OOU students
have been gathering and meeting; they do not want a breakdown of law and order,
they do not want to be seen as ‘troublemakers’, they do not want people to
think they do not want the progress of the university, they do not want to be
seen as students who love causing trouble, but then, they would not sit still
and watch education taken beyond their grasp, they would not sit still and see
their ladies become prostitutes so they can pay their way through school, they
would not fold their hands while their guys become internet fraudsters so they
can even have a chance of surviving the financial demands of the academic
community. No, the state government either starts paying attention to tertiary
education or it starts preparing to face the wrath of OOU students.
These are days of
enlightenment; to underrate students is to toy with failure. OOU students have
moved before, and if the Ogun state government does not begin to take them
serious by reducing the tuition fees and implementing the “the higher you go,
the lower it becomes” method as far as tuition fee is concerned, OOU students
are prepared to move again, and this time, the movement may be one that will
consume the government and jettison any plans the governor has for 2015.
Education is germane to Ogun State students and if the current state government
is not prepared to pay attention to it, it should be prepared to leave.
Already, the OOU Students Union has issued a missive warning both the state
government and the university management of the dangers of their actions, and
they have expressed their readiness to lead OOU students in their quest to
restore sanity to OOU. The whirlwinds of revolt will begin to rock all the
corners of this state until Governor Amosun brings down the hike in tuition
fees from the astronomical fees being paid currently, starts funding the school
and contributes to the infrastructural development of the university.
Lastly, with the
political tide sweeping across the south-west like a tsunami, it will not be a
surprise if PDP takes back the darling state of APC as we have witnessed in
Ekiti already.
Lekan Olanite
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