Ogun ACN leaders tackle Amosun over TASUED

ABEOKUTA— The leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Ogun East Senatorial District has disowned Governor Ibikunle Amosun over the  aborted plan to scrap Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, Ijagun, saying, the party believes in ‘expansion of the scope and  scale of education.’

Emergency meeting

Rising  from  an emergency meeting, at Idowa in Ijebu-Ode recently, which had in attendance, former deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji  Rafiu Ogunleye, and  the Senator, representing  Ogun East  Senatorial  District, Alhaji Gbenga Kaka,  among other prominent party leaders, the party leaders,  issued a communique , calling  for caution by the government in its bid to scrap and merge some of the  state-owned institutions.

It will be  recalled that,the state government had announced the planned scrapping of TASUED  and merger of  four  ICT Polytechnics, the gesture, which  sparked-off controversies  and protest  which eventually led to the  loss of one of the final year students of the embattled institution.

Breaking its silence on the controversial matter,no fewer than sixty three  party leaders from each of the  nine local government areas of the district, which included;  Ijebu Ode, Odogbolu, Ijebu East, Ijebu North East, Ogun Waterside, Ijebu North, Sagamu , Remo North  and Ikenne local governments, disagreed with the government on the merger and scrapping of the institutions established by past administrations.

The communiqué  which was made available to newsmen yesterday,  read in part “on the recent efforts of the state government to restructure the two state universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago Iwoye and Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, Ijagun and other tertiary institutions in the state, the meeting called for great caution and patience in resolving the resultant and ominous problems and dangers government policy and pronouncements seemed to have created in academic communities in particular and among the citizenry of the state in general.

“The meeting believes in expansion of the scope and scale of education and hence does not support the scrapping or merging of the tertiary institutions in the state. Consequently, all tertiary institutions in Ogun State at present should be allowed to exist independently.

“The meeting appreciated, welcomed and endorsed the steps taken by the National Universities Commission, NUC, in taking over the administration of Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, until the issues are resolved.

“The meeting commended Senator Sefiu Adegbenga Kaka, Senator representing the constituency in the National Assembly for his timely intervention in order to give our state government and party breathing space to search for a more acceptable and equitable solution to the present logjam in the education sector.

“The meeting congratulated Governor  Ibikunle Amosun on the giant strides he has taken since his assumption of office  to rebuild Ogun State under the five cardinal point agenda and the manifesto of the Action Congress of Nigeria.

Endorsed NUC’s take-over

“The meeting appreciated, welcomed and endorsed the steps taken by the National University Commission, NUC, in taking over the administration of Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, until the issues are resolved.”

On party caucus

The meeting  however  called on top leaders of  the party  in the state to constitute a party caucus, which according to  the communiqué, should  comprise  the leadership of  the Party, the State Government, State House of Assembly and party members at the National Assembly  and from the state to re-consider   the entire proposals and policy thrusts on the two universities in the state.

It  further  called for the immediate restoration of the party’s consultative forum  “so as to move forward the functions and activities of the party and government, ensuring lasting confidence of the party members and the generality of the public.”