Chieftains of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Ogun East Senatorial District have disagreed with the plans of the Ogun State Government to merge the Tai Solarin College of Education with the Olabisi Onabanjo University.
They rather commended the take-over of the Tai Solarin University of Education by the National Universities Commission pending the resolution of the controversy surrouding the proposed merger of the institution with the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye.
The ACN big wigs who included a former Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Adegbenga Kaka; Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye; and the Secretary of the party in the state, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso, made their position known at an emergency meeting of the party held at Idowa-Ijebu on Sunday.
The said they do not support the scrapping or merging of tertiary institutions in the state.
The communique issued after the meetingreads in part: “The meeting congratulated His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun FCA, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, 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.
“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 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.
“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 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.”