The governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has urged graduating students in the nation’s higher institutions to be self-reliant and depend less on government and their guardians, even as they go into the world.
The governor who spoke at the 5th and 6th graduation programme of the Lead City university, Ibadan, said that the
According to him, the reality of a hostile world where white-collar jobs are non-existent dictates that graduating students should depend more on the works of their hands and less on society.
“The world is not all the time just, nor is it a bed of roses. Dear graduands, reliance on your parents and wards for sustainability would begin to thin out from now. Reliance would henceforth very much be on the works of your hands. You may have to draw largely from that ancient Yoruba aphorism which says, “Ise Loogun Ise: Work is the antidote to poverty,” the governor said.
While urging the private sector to partner with his government in the provision of quality education in the state, the governor said that developments have shown that no government can fund education alone.
“Recent developments in the growth of education have however shown that no government, no matter how benevolent it may be, can be rich enough to solely fund education. It must get the support of the private sector and individuals who are endowed.
“I therefore want to use this opportunity to appeal to individuals and corporate bodies who are yet to respond to the clarion call for support of education to join hands with this government in the effort to provide qualitative education for all,” he said.
Ajimobi said the state government, in its quest to continue the tradition of educational excellence of its forebears, decided to invest heavily in education.
“Our government has been committing a large chunk of its resources to education. We have a very rich history of educational development that no part of this country can rival.
“To ensure sustenance of this rich history that dates back to pre-independence era, our administration is striving for renewal of educational infrastructure, quality of teachers and ultimately, in students who can hold their own in any academic gathering,” Ajimobi said.
While itemizing the strides of his government in the field of education, governor Ajimobi said he was continuing in the tradition of ‘firsts’ of the Obafemi Awolowo government. “We are daily striving towards making our schools first among equals, in terms of infrastructure and quality of teachers. Our ratings in WAEC Examinations has improved considerably.
“We are partnering with the University of Ibadan to provide adequate monitoring of teaching quality and techniques in schools, expose teachers to modern method of imparting knowledge, with the aim of making our schools the best they can be,” the governor said.
In his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Olufemi Onabajo urged the students to go into the world and excel, while thanking the state government for its urban renewal and infrastructural programme which he said the school had drawn greatly from.
“I want to use this medium to salute the doggedness, resoluteness, determination and commitment of the executive governor of the state, Senator Ajimobi to the transformation of Oyo State into a model worth emulating,” he said.
Highlight of the occasion was the award of honourary doctoral degrees on the governor, Professor Toyin Falola, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, Dr. Abdouilie Janneh.