Thousands
of pupils from public secondary schools in Oyo State yesterday trooped to the
streets of Ibadan, the state capital, to protest the state government’s plan to
adopt the public-private participatory approach for the management of some of
their schools.
The
initiative, the state’s public workers had argued, would lead to the
commercialisation of public education in the state.
But
Governor Abiola Ajimobi had explained that the plan was not aimed at selling or
privatising the affected 31 schools.
However, the labour unions in the state said workers
would begin an indefinite strike on Tuesday (today) to force government to
reverse its decision.
The
students’ protest and the workers’ union insistence on the strike had forced
the state government to shut down all public primary and secondary schools in
the state on Monday.
The
government accused the labour unions in the state of engaging pupils to stage
the protest.
In
a statement by the State communication team, the state government described the
decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress to commence an indefinite strike as
unlawful and uncalled for.
Earlier,
the pupils had taken over the streets as early as 9am, chanting anti-government
songs and daring the policemen who were stationed at strategic places to
maintain peace and order to attack them.
They
attacked the state headquarters of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Oke
Ado. They vandalised its properties and beat up the secretariat workers.
Many
of the pupils from Ikolaba Grammar School, St. Clegg Girls’ High School, Queen
of Apostle Grammar School, Oluyoro Oke-Ofa, Oluyoro Girls’ Grammar School,
Ratibi College, Oluyoro Oke-Ofa, St. Patrick Grammar School, Basorun, Christ
the King Secondary School, Agugu and IMG Grammar School, Agodi, matched to the
state secretariat in Agodi where they made several demands from Ajimobi.
The
protesters’ presence forced the security
operatives to close all gates leading to the governor’s office, with the state
Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, leading the police to prevent them from
gaining entrance into the complex.
Apart
from asking Ajimobi not to sell their
schools, the pupils also demanded his immediate resignation.
They
said the state’s education initiative was designed to add to the burden of
their parents who were being owed
several months of salaries by the government.
However,
the protest escalated in some areas of the city as hoodlums hijacked it and unleashed terror on the public and
incited the pupils to attack government’s vehicles and public buildings.
Some
of the pupils brandished weapons such as double-edged axes, cutlasses and
stones.
Schools
that did not take part in the protest and destruction were invaded and their
pupils were forced out of their classrooms to join the protest.
The
state Commissioner of Police, Oyebade, advised the pupils to return home and
allow government and relevant agencies to take a decision on the matter.
He
said, “Do not take laws into your own hands, especially when the matter is
being addressed by the state government. I advise you to return to your schools
and face your studies.”
At
the secretariat gate, Ajimobi’s Senior Special Assistant, Print and Broadcast
Media, Akin Oyedele, also made efforts to calm down the pupils, who laid a
siege to the government house, but they refused to leave.
The
Chairman of the APC in the state, Akin Oke, condemned the protest, describing
the violent attacks on the party secretariat by hoodlums as being sponsored by
opposition parties to spite the government of Ajimobi over the proposed
education initiative.
In
a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare,
on behalf of Oke, the party called on the police to investigate the attacks and
prosecute the culprits.
“At
about few minutes past 11am, hoodlums which comprised of some pupils of public
secondary schools as well as some disgruntled members of the NLC, the Nigeria
Union of Teachers
and the opposition parties, stormed our party secretariat at Oke Ado and
vandalised everything. They also beat up some members of staff who had to be
treated for varying degrees of injuries.
“The
hoodlums were harmed with stones, broken-bottles, cutlasses and other dangerous
weapons with which they attacked innocent people as well as some private
business interests.”
The
party urged the workers not to embark on strike but should embrace dialogue.
But
in spite of this, the NLC, led by its National Vice-Chairman, Mr. Solomon
Adelegan, said that the strike would continue until their demands were met by
the state government.
Some
of the demands are the withdrawal of all charges against the members of the
union, payment of the six months outstanding salaries and pensions and
cancellation of the decision to ‘sell-off’ any public schools in the state.
Speaking
after his release from Agodi Prison, the state NLC chairman, Olojede, said that
the struggle would continue and that the labour action would uphold “the global
pronouncement which declares education as a social responsibility of
government.”
He
also accused Ajimobi of planning to sell the concerned public schools, calling
on prospective ‘buyers’ to stay away.
Also
on Monday, the NLC chairman in the state, Waheed Olojede, and six other
members, Mr. Sikiru Sodo, Oseni Aderemi, Oparinde Kehinde, Falade Akinyele,
Ogundeji Kofoworola and Adegbogun Titi, were released from Agodi Prison after
they perfected their bail conditions
They
were arrested on Thursday and arraigned on Friday for allegedly disrupting a
stakeholders’ meeting called by the state government to discuss modalities for
the return of schools to their owners under the proposed public-private
participatory management arrangement.
Source: The Punch
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