The Honourable Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-governmental Relations in the State of Osun, Taiwo Akeju has described the policies reversal in education sector as yielding to yearnings of the people of the state.
Akeju, who spoke with newsmen in his office in Osogbo on Friday, said the reversal has increased the popularity of Governor Gboyega Oyetola as a listening leader.
The commissioner said the people of the state, during a thank you tour by Oyetola in 2019 unanimously told the governor to look into the policies as the 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 and now the governor, Gboyega Oyetola on 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 their wants are? It’s on record that over 99% of the people requested for policy reversal in education.
“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 education policies.
“After that we realized that this is a consensus of the people. The EXCO, 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 feed is back. The likes of Prof Olu Aina, General Alani Akinrinade, Prof Pius Obahan and other credible Nigerians did the review and the EXCOs approved it,” he said.
Akeju added that the mission of reversal is never aimed at rubbishing the legacies of the immediate past Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who he described as his leader and brother from Ijesha land.
He said the present administration is committed to upholding, consolidating and sustaining the legacies of the immediate past administration led by Ogbeni Aregbesola.
“What I’ll tell those insinuating crisis between Aregbesola and Oyetola is that they should desist. The two leaders talk several times a day and they both discuss how to make Osun great.”
