Image caption: Governor Adeleke
Osun community vows to resist planned relocation of institution
Khalid ABRAHAM
Inhabitants of Esa-Oke in Obokun local government have kicked against the purported plan by the government of Ademola Adeleke to move the state College of Technology from the town to another community.
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In a video obtained by Blueprint, Monday, the community vowed to resist the plan of the government with whatever was within their power.
The youth of the town who spoke in the video said the plan to relocate 10 of the 16 departments in the institution to Ibokun, the hometown of the chairman of the governing council, Diran Odeyemi, has been exposed.
“We will barricade the school gate Tuesday with masquerade. Whoever wants to shoot should shoot us and whoever wants to kill us should not hesitate,” they said.
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In a statement, the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, stated that the allegation of planning to site a satellite campus of the institution elsewhere is “unfounded and entirely baseless.” He said: “The allegation must have emanated from anti-government individuals who are enemies of peace, tranquility, and progress of the state.
“The ministry enjoins the good people of Esa-Oke community to rest assured that the institution continues to exist within the community as there are no plans to establish any satellite campus by Osun state government.”
Similarly, the chairman governing council, Odeyemi, in a separate statement, stated that the council plans to seek NBTE approval for a proposed Mass Communication program and the new program being proposed will require the setting up of necessary facilities for teaching and practical.
The politicians are fond of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The current imbroglio concerning the movement of a department of Agriculture at LAUTECH, Ogbomoso to Iseyin must have been an eye-opener to the Esa Oke people. Give devil an inch of space, he will take a mile from you.
If I am not mistaken, the College of Technology at Esa Oke was set up in 1980 by the late Chief Bola, the then Governor of old Oyo State. At the same time, three polytechnics were set up by the late governor, with Iree, ESA Oke and Eruwa having one each, as a form of political patronage or compensation to the governor himself ( from Esa Oke), Deputy governor, Chief Sunday Afolabi (from Iree) and the then Speaker of the State House Assembly, Chief Mokolade Gbolagunte ( from Eruwa). Unfortunately, all now of blessed memory.