Lawmaker Tasks Monarchs on Dwindling Enrolment of Children in Schools 

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Senator Shuaib Salisu, Monday, tasked traditional rulers to rise up and check the dwindling enrolment of children in schools especially at the secondary school level.

Salisu, who is representing Ogun Central in the Senate, said the 700,000 being quoted as the number of out-of-school children in Ogun State, was worrisome and alarming.

The senator spoke at the opening of a two-day Capacity Building Workshop and Empowerment of Ogun Traditional Rulers with the theme ‘Role in Ensuring Improved Enrolment of Students in Secondary Education.’

The workshop, which was attended by monarchs in Ogun Central Senatorial District, was held at the palace of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, at Ake in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The workshop was organised by the senator in conjunction with the National Secondary School Commission and Ampers and Development Partners.

The senator, popularly called Omoyayi, expressed displeasure at the decreasing enrolment of students in secondary education level in Ogun Central.

He said: “The preeminent position of Ogun Central Senatorial District, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the first lawyer, was premised on education. But if you look at it critically now, you will notice that the quest for education is waning.

“The enrollment trend is going down. In 10 years, 20 years time, are we going to be able to say as Ogun State or as Ogun Central that we are still in preeminent position as we used to be? 

“I therefore want to address the problem from the root. First, by imploring our traditional rulers to serve as education advancement champions.”

While stating his commitment to tackle the problem of reduction in school enrolment by bringing discussion to the grassroots, the senator said village heads (baales) would assemble at June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, from where they would take the village to hamlets in the Ogun Central District.

According to him, “This workshop is in full glance of my commitment to empowerment through education. You will recollect that a few weeks ago, I called the principals, the teachers, and the students from Ogun Central Senatorial District when WAEC, NECO, JAMB examinations were approaching. I gave them textbooks, gave them bags, gave them mathematical sets, gave them laptops to prepare them for the examination including past questions.

“You will also recollect that every year, I sponsor a thousand candidates for JAMB. I pay for NECO fee; I pay for WAEC registration fees. But also realise that I need to carry the critical stakeholders in this quest to advance education in Ogun Central.

“Today, I’m having a workshop capacity building for our traditional rulers. And it’s in two phases. Today is for the obas across all the six local governments, across all the sphere of influence of Egba Traditional Council. Tomorrow it will be the turn of our baales . And they are coming in hundreds from all our hamlets and our villages. And the message is very simple.

“If our traditional rulers now begin the campaign of saying, yes, there could be challenges of people going to school and not get jobs yet. But when the jobs become available, they are not going to give to people who are not educated.

“You could also have education, if you also lack character, that education would not be useful. I am extremely distressed as Chairman of Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security to hear news on Yahoo, Yahoo Boys in my Senatorial District.”

In his remark at the event, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, acknowledged that education is the genuine tool of development. 

He said traditional rulers should be role models in building characters of young ones.

The paramount ruler commended Salisu for organising the workshop and for realising the important roles that they can play in order to ensure that more children are enrolled in schools.