President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked governors and other administrators in the country to emulate Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s template on education by investing massively in education sector as a way to unlock opportunities in other sectors of the economy.
President Buhari, who commissioned Osogbo Government High School, one of the 40 newly built elementary, middle and high schools as part of activities marking 25 years of Osun State, said the governors should begin to look inwards and deploy education to discover areas of potentialities that could shore up the nation’s economy.
While pledging presidential support for any state government that can make education cost-effective and accessible to children and youths in the country, President Buhari proposed that Aregbesola’s built Osogbo Government High School would have produced 50,000 well-trained students that would form the fulcrum of the society in the next 50 years.
He said: “Our government has been helping states to realise their developmental plans irrespective of political parties. We are here to commission Osogbo Government High School, one of the legacy projects of Rauf Aregbesola. The facility here is worthy of emulation by other states. What we are witnessing here is a fulfilment of our government policy on education. The economy of scales in this edifice is unquantifiable and so we must seize the opportunities the school has in stock.
“During our campaigns, we promised our people positive and progressive change. But history has taught us that change does not come as easy as that. Change will come after much hard work, patience and perseverance. We promise that we shall do everything for our country and our people and this won’t be long in coming.”
Earlier, Governor Rauf Aregbesola lauded President Buhari for his leadership qualities, and since his assumption of office, the President had not disappointed Nigerians despite multifaceted challenges confronting the country majorly caused by decline in oil receipts to less than 20 percent.
He noted that the shortfall in oil had affected the Federal Government and put not less than 28 states under severe financial strain, and if not for the courage of the President and his team, the country could have gone totally bankrupt, adding that the commissioning of schools testifies to educational development, which is derived from APC’s ideology and manifesto.
He said: “Education for us, therefore, is the path to development. We are 25 years now, but we are looking at the next 25 years and we want to create and determine the next 25 years through education. We are producing the new man. The overall am in to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society who views his own development as part of the development of the society.
“This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man who views his existence in light of the growth of others; he views whatever is acquired to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society.”
BusinessDay reports that governors of Borno, Oyo and Lagos states; Kazeem Shettima, Isiaka Ajimobi and Akinwunmi Ambode, respectively, were in attendance, just as former governor of the state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, minister of communications, Adebajo Shittu, and ex-deputy governor of Ogun, Segun Adesegun.
RAZAQ AYINLA, Osogbo
