Police Secondary School Odanbon Ogbomoso and the survey plan debacle – a passionate appeal
Femi OGUNLANA
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When news filtered in few years ago that pupils who finished from Police Primary School Ogbomoso, Oyo state, and are willing to transit to its secondary school axis to be equally based in the city, people felt a rapture of joy. The joy is not unconnected with the believed inherent opportunities, the prospect for further development, opening of a new vista of population growth, the economic stimulus it represents and so on abounding in the prospect.
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Odanbon, a sleepy community in the outskirts of Ogbomoso, in Surulere local government, emerged as the choice host after the community led by its traditional ruler, HRH Oba Gbadebo Adepoju Idogbe Akintade I, the Olodanbon Orlie, donated over 40 hectares (100 acres) of land for the project. The location of the school in Odanbon is also significant because Odanbon is (an) ancestral home of the late former Inspector General of Police Chief Sunday Adewusi.
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Ogbomoso Parapo characteristically took the lead in making the school a reality. The Nigeria Police Force Education Department did its part in approving the school and going ahead to put up the perimeter fence and gate/guard house, which was subsequently painted in police colour.
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However, further commitment to the project by the police authorities was hinged on provision of survey plan of the land. Unless this is procured further work would not be executed, the police authorities made it unambiguously clear. But surprisingly and most perplexingly, this could not be come up with and regrettably is what is stalling the project, at least in the interim. It is appalling, neither the Odanbon chieftaincy family nor Ogbomoso Parapo could facilitate its issuance. According to findings the socio-cultural organization made an initial commitment of N400, 000 (four hundred thousand naira) but as this was far from the N1.2m (one million two hundred thousand naira) needed at the time, its president Hon Justice Afolabi Adeniran (rtd) added another N100, 000 (one hundred thousand naira) from his purse. But inability to come up with the remaining N700, 000 (seven hundred thousand naira) shamefully stagnated the process however. As at the last count, meanwhile, the cost of producing the survey plan has shot higher up, no thanks to the worsening economic situation in the country.
It’s unbelievable it’s such an amount that’s holding up the take off of such pivotal school. Less than N2m! But perhaps the matter is handled wrongly. Because Ogbomoso Parapo cannot claim it can’t cough out such amount. It’s spearheading the construction of the Ogbomoso Passport office’s building presently which has gulped millions in naira. The apex socio-cultural association in the past undertook similar laudable projects such as facilitating the establishment of the first and second secondary schools in Ogbomoso and other legacy projects that became watershed in the developmental history of Ogbomoso. Why the case of the police secondary school falters is thus incomprehensible.
A similar institution – Nigeria Navy Secondary School in Iresaapa – has contributed tremendously to the development of the host community and Ogbomoso as a whole. Doubling the benefits through Police Secondary School will certainly improve the lot of the city.
Struggle for the start-off of Police Secondary School, Igbo Ora, in Ibarapa zone of Oyo state, started at the same time as that of Ogbomoso, but while that one is already graduating students (or about to), the one here is stuck on the basis of flimsy reason.
For the good of Odanbon, Ogbomoso community as a whole and in honour of Chief Adewusi and other top police officers who hailed from Ogbomoso including AIG Sheu Babalola (rtd), AIG Supo Ajani (rtd), CP Dejo Oyelowo (rtd), CP Samson Ogunlowo (rtd), DCP Agboola Oke (rtd), ACP Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala (rtd) and others, let the Police Secondary School, Odanbon, Ogbomoso, overcome its lacuna and roar to life.
Members of Odanbon royal family too though debunked by Olodanbon Idogbe should settle their differences.
If the NPF Education Department allocated resources towards erecting the fence, not only should they be commended but also motivated to continue by our fulfilling of our own responsibilities.
