By DAPO FALADE
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that the state, under his watch, will continue to make education its primary focus, notwithstanding the growing developmental needs of the other sectors.
The governor said this at a dinner held in honour of the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund), Professor Suleiman Bogoro, held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.
Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, said his focus on free and qualitative education would remain unchanged, just as he restated his committed to the task of moving Oyo State from poverty to prosperity.
He disclosed that to achieve results, his administration believes in keeping things simple, adding that the development of a well-thought-out roadmap for the accelerated development of the state, long before he was elected, has paid off, especially because of his fidelity to the propositions in the document.
Governor Makinde, who maintained that his government has identified areas where interventions could aid the development of the state, said he found relationship with TETFund strategic to the state’s agenda on quality education system.
He commended the TETFund Executive Secretary for making impact by delivering on the mandate of the Trust Fund without bias for political party affiliation or ethnicity, stating that leaders must learn to keep things simple and act in the interest of the nation.
He said: “Our roadmap was well-developed before electioneering and it identified those areas where we think intervention will accelerate development for us. And education is one of them.
“We looked at the 20 per cent recommended budgetary allocation by the UNESCO and we looked at our annual budget for a sustainable project in education and we knew there are things we will be to achieve for our tertiary institutions, if interventions from TETFund and other critical organisations are in place.
“Knowing that there is a lot of discretionary approach to the utilisation of their funds, I thought if there is anyone in this whole country that I need to develop a good relationship with, it would be the Executive Secretary of TETFund.
“When we met during the electioneering period, Professor Bogoro explained to me that TETFund is apolitical and this night is a demonstration of what we spoke about at that particular time. One thing I have learnt from Professor Bogoro is to make an impact. As leaders, we just have to keep it very simple.
“I want to thank you for your leadership at TETFund, for being apolitical and for looking at your duty as an assignment for the entire country, irrespective of ethnic background and political leaning. This is the kind of leadership we deserve in this country, and that is what can take this country out of the woods.”
In his response, the TETfund boss commended Governor Makinde’s priority attention to the development of the education sector, noting that the governor has raised the bar in terms of increasing annual percent funding for education.
“I am told it is 23 per cent and that is definitely one of the highest in this country. I am not sure if there are more than two or three states, if any, that may surpass that percentage. That is commendable.
“It shows the priority that Governor Makinde gives to education. For me, I am not surprised because we are in the South-West where it is said that in education, they lead, and the rest of the country follows.
“There is no doubt about it that in all the indices of investment in education, the South-West leads the rest of the country. For political leadership to demonstrate that in all ramifications, I want to appreciate the governor in the manner he has done it.
“Any leader that recognises human capital as the foundation for development has established the basis for competitiveness in wherever that leader is presiding over.
“For that reason, I respect Governor Makinde and the entire people of Oyo State that are supporting him to do all these,” the TETFund boss said.
Bogoro, who expressed his delight at the honour done to him, added that, having listened to eight of tertiary institutions being supported by TETFund in Oyo State, he was not disappointed, as according to him, the Fund has been getting the best value for its money.
He promised that the TETFund will continue to support institutions in the state, expressing its belief that such effort will show the confidence the agency has in Governor Makinde’s effort so that he could consolidate on what he started.
He said: “Today, what I saw in Ibadan in the three institutions that I commissioned projects; I was not disappointed. A number of TETFund infrastructure in U.I that were inspected are very likely to be completed within the next two months; Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education and the rest.
“We are getting the best of value with TETFund money that we are putting into Oyo State and I can assure you that having eight of institutions that are doing well as we have in Oyo State, we give them discretionary concession of additional funds,” he added.
Earlier in their separate remarks, Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye and the vice chancellors of the University of Ibadan and the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Professors Idowu Olayinka and Michael Ologunde, respectively, commended Bogoro and TETFund for the support to higher institutions in the state.
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