Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The Osun State Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-governmental Relations, Hon Taiwo Akeju, has stated that the aim to reverse some education policies introduced by the former state Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is to rubbish his legacies.
Akeju, who described the immediate-past governor and current Minister of Interior as his leader and brother from Ijesha land, said the policy reversal in the state education sector has nothing to do with administration vendetta.
He stated this while fielding questions from journalists in his office in Osogbo at the weekend.
The state political affairs commissioner described the policy reversal in the education sector as yielding to yearnings of the people of the state.
He said the people of the state, during a thank-you tour by the state Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, in 2019, unanimously told the governor to look into the policies as it had impacted negatively on the lives of the students.
According to him, “The policy in 2018 became a talking point in the state. Opposition parties castigated the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and now the state governor, Oyetola, over it, and the governor then said if it was the wish of the people to reverse it, he will do that.
“After the 2019 polls, the governor went round the state for his thank-you tour, and asked people what they want. It’s on record that over 99 percent of the people requested for policy reversal in the education sector.
“More so, the Department for Fund for International Development (DFID), after carrying out survey across the state, recommended to the governor a review of the present educational policies.
“After that, we realised that this is a consensus of the people. The executive council, in order not to take a unilateral decision, assembled credible and reliable Nigerians in education sector to sit on a committee to access the report and report back. The likes of Prof Olu Aina, General Alani Akinrinade, Prof Pius Obahan and other credible Nigerians did the review and the Exco approved it,” he said.
Akeju said the present administration is committed to upholding, consolidating and sustaining the legacies of Aregbesola.
“What I’ll tell those insinuating crisis between Aregbesola and Oyetola is that they should desist from it. The two leaders talk several times a day and they both discuss how to make Osun State great,” he added.
