The governor of Oyo state, Abiola Isiaka Ajimobi, has asked that an apology letter must be written by the head of schools whose pupils participated in the June 6, 2016, protest against him over allegations that the governor had sold their schools. The governor vowed to keep the schools under lock and key until the schools fulfil the conditions.
According to TheCable; Abiodun Jimoh, Chairman National Association of Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) told the press after a meeting with the governor. The association had visited the governor to appeal to him to reopen the schools shut down in reaction to the protests.
The association has promised to ensure that the heads teachers of the affected school tender their apology letters to the governor, saying the pupils need to go back to school. “We have promised him that we will meet with the heads of the schools to immediately write the letter in the interest of the pupils. We are fed up with the strike action and our children staying at home for so long. We want them back in school and for teachers to resume at their duty posts” Jimoh said.
The Oyo state government had denied the allegation that it planned to privatize schools in the state, instead claiming it was a preparatory initiative aimed at boosting the education sector of the state.
Governor Ajimobi reportedly accused head teachers in Oyo state of instructing their pupils to insult him; hence, he insisted they must apologize before their schools can be reopened.
Meanwhile, a report has it that a labor leader, Waheed Olojede, who is the chairman of the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), alongside six other members were detained for disrupting the meeting to discuss the reopening of schools last week.
The governor was quoted saying: “The era of brigandage and wanton destruction of public assets has gone. We would not allow any person or group to draw us back. If anybody has issues to present at the meeting, why didn’t they participate instead of disruption?”
