Opinion: Dr Mimiko, achievements do the talking, not the printed lies of government

by Orukotan, Ayomikun Samuel

The Federal Republic off Nigeria still lacks human capital- a key resource to her growth and development. Pitifully, investment in education (key to human development) at all level has been below parity considering UNESCO as threshold. Characteristically, the bedrock of secondary and tertiary forms of education is the primary form of it. Just like the psalmist said, if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

On April 25, 2016, I was on a spur-of-the-moment visit to Adeyemi College of Education Ondo. Therein, I saw a primary school that bore the name ‘Adeyemi Public Primary school Ondo’ located inside the reputable college of education. I took interest because of the decaying or decayed state of the school building. This school under converse is positioned in Ondo west local government area of Ondo state.

Here is a school that was instituted some forty-three years ago (1973). Deductively, this school has existed ever before Ondo state was formally created in 1976 and the motto of this school is ‘education plus moral is an asset’. Going by the structural decay noticeable, one begins to ask if that motto is not just hackneyed as many dreams seem to be. Perhaps not, but from the pictures captured, it is crystal that the learning condition is not reasonably conducive. At occasions where it could possibly rain cats and dogs, the process of learning is disturbed.

One expect that the building that have been constructed decades ago, conversely, polarised by environmental conditions should be subjected to continuous tests or checks. Perhaps so, because corrective effort is far better and less expensive compared to preventive activity. Besides that, continuum is an essential ingredient in consolidating governmental interventions. Quite worse, the government of the day in Ondo state does not have a good record of resource and human management.

Due to perhaps, poor administrative acumen, existing structures (school or non-school) has been subjected to thorough decay. This is overt in almost every corner of the state. Even, the governor would attest to this fact if only he wouldn’t allow a sense of pride to massage his ego.
Generally,the orange-yellow colophon typifies some of the projects(mega-schools,markets,hospital and ‘whatever else’) embarked upon by his administration.

One of the achievements of Dr Mimiko as the governor of Ondo state is building of mega schools.The truth is, mega schools are good but what is morally wrong is the total neglect of the existent school structures. Under an ideal condition, mega schools should have complemented existing school structures not reducing them to total collapse. That no doubt, is a dysfunctional effect of Dr Mimiko’s government.

Some have even argued that Dr Mimiko only wants to erase the legacies of Late Dr Olusegun Agagu on the sands of time. From Dr Mimiko’s bureaucracy therefore, one is compelled to ask, if the aforementioned has been the “intention” of Dr Mimiko and his government. Unfortunately, the classroom blocks presently used by the school under discourse were constructed by the then Dr Agagu’s administration. Now, it is gradually depreciating as expected and nobody is looking at them. Hence, why many have termed mega school projects as self-glorifying. Isn’t it?

In good conscience, many primary schools across the state are convincingly “dead”. Even, the public secondary schools are in critical conditions. It is a let-down, to say the least, that the Parents and Teacher Association (PTA) has taken over the exclusive roles of government in the state. It is excruciating to the ears of decent people that the PTA are now the body building or rebuilding some of the dilapidating or dilapidated school structures. It speaks badly of Ondo state government-a government that came into power more than seven years ago under the mantra of “I WILL WORK FOR YOU”. Truth be told, the quality of primary school education in Ondo state has drastically diminished for overt reasons.

One, government has neglected a lot of these “begging” primary schools and focused perhaps more on the mega schools. Second, deficient work force and non-payment of salaries as and when due, thus, undermining worker’s morale and reducing optimal output. Third, government has ‘commercialised’ primary school education and reduced incentives drastically. Four, development has been seemingly crippled by the manacles of “segregation”and chains of “discrimination”.

How does the governor even feel when parents of public primary school pupils are now the ones paying salaries to “self-employed” teachers of their children in a government-owned primary school? I had equally wondered why the government is shirking its responsibilities or is not aware of it? Can we conveniently say the work of those local government chairmen who had just been “selected” are to fix those dilapidated school structures across the state? What now remains the work of the Ondo state government when parents of school girls or boys have become the “governor” of the state?

From the pictures captured and the empirical realities on ground, I advise that the alumni of the Adeyemi Public Primary School, Ondo and several others in such akin eyesore should come together and rescue their alma maters from total collapse. Perhaps so, because the government of the day in Ondo stat ehas not been sensitive enough to the plights of her people.

However, just before posterity and living history begin to ask knotty questions about the times and life of Dr Mimiko as governor of the sunshine state, let Dr Mimiko obey the daring clarion call and fix the decaying and decayed structures across the state, if possible, before his tenure expires.

Mail: [email protected]. Orukotan, Ayomikun Samuel wrote in from Kwara state.

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