Former Chairman, Governing Council of College of Education, Ilesa, Elder Kunle Odeyemi has condemned the decision taken by the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to stop the University of Ilesa from taking off.
Odeyemi described the action as a political attempt to kill a baby that had been delivered.
Odeyemi maintained that there is no justification for the delay.
He also held that it is absurd for Adeleke to inaugurate an ad-hoc committee to work out modalities for an effective take-off of the University of Ilesa when the law establishing the institution had been passed by the House of Assembly and accented to by his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
He said, ”It wonders all true born of Ijesaland that in less than few months for the university to be admitting students after having been listed by JAMB and National Universities Commission NUC, Governor Adeleke had to put everything on hold is the highest level of pettiness and political immaturity.
“If not for petty politics, how could you put on hold a process that had fulfilled all necessary legal and administrative requirements and was satisfied by the previous administration led by Gboyega Oyetola.
“Governor Adeleke should know that governance is supposed to be about the interests of the people but with Adeleke, governance is about vendetta and unnecessary politics of bitterness.”
Speaking also, the former Commissioner for Works in Osun, Remi Omowaiye, emphasised that what the governor had done with the university was a big insult to the people of Ijesaland.
He alleged that Adeleke decided to play politics with no other thing than the age-long dream of the people.
He noted that suspending the already constituted governing council with the likes of Prof. Isaac Adewole, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, Prof. Labo Poopola, Prof. Mrs Oluyemisi Obilade, High Chief Akinwande Akinola, and Rasheed Sarumi, who are eminent Ijesa personalities with records of distinction, is a big insult to Ijesaland.
“What we are telling the governor is that he should put politics aside and do what is right. The college of education had been there for 44 years. The infrastructure on ground is fantastic, it even has what other already established universities do not have.
“The former governor had contacted TETFUND for support. We have sent reports and messages to the President-elect on the issue of the university. If PDP under the leadership of Adeleke likes it or not, the university of Ilesa had come to stay.”
The Osun Governor, Ademola Adeleke had on Friday during a visit to the University of Ilesa, accused the former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of not following due process in the establishment of the institution.
The Osun State House of Assembly had in 2022 passed the law establishing the institution and the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) has approved courses for the institution.
The law which sought to upgrade the existing College of Education, Ilesa to a university was also assented to by former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
