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Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, has kick-started the distribution of instructional training materials and teaching aids to teachers, as well as the training of 18,000 primary and junior secondary school teachers across the 33 local government areas of the state.
This was as he stated that the Oyo State Government remained determined to be abreast of developments in the education sector and to meet universal standards.
Governor Makinde, who was represented by Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, the Deputy Governor, at the event held at Emmanuel College, Agbowo, Ibadan, added that the programme was part of the government’s commitment to empowering and equipping the educators, who in turn would impart quality knowledge to pupils and students in primary and secondary schools.
The intervention programme was facilitated by Global Partnership in Education, sponsored by the World Bank in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Speaking further, the governor stated that the instructional training materials and the teaching aids would foster the capability of pupils and students to compete nationally and internationally and also equip the teachers with modern teaching tools in line with global educational standards by also adopting up-to-date teaching methods.
“We have come to demonstrate and make people aware that we are moving in tandem with educational development worldwide. We all know this is a digital age, and we cannot afford to be analogue. So, we need to keep our teachers abreast of developments in their sector.
“These computer tablets that are being distributed will further enhance the instructional capabilities of our teachers.
“The tablet is well-packaged with several Apps, and it is meant for all our teachers in Oyo State; 18,000 in all.
“This training is going to last about two weeks, so that no teacher would feign an excuse or pretend not to know how to operate the tablet.
“All subjects are included in the tablets. What you only need to do is open the tab, go to the subject matter and begin to teach our students.
“It is indeed a teaching aid and would foster the capability of our students to compete nationally and internationally because this mode of learning is not reversible. You can’t sit in the classrooms and be taught in analogue form when the age is digital.”
While appreciating all the stakeholders in the educational sector, the Governor enjoined the beneficiaries to complement the efforts of the state government through their commitment and dedication.
“So, I have to appreciate BESDA, SUBEB, TESCOM, the Ministry of Education, UBEC and other members of the educational family that have put heads together for our pupils in Oyo State to take advantage of current and technologically advanced methods of teaching,” he added.
Suraj Abiodun Tiamy, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education Intervention, speaking earlier, said apart from the distribution of the instructional training materials and teaching aids, there would be four weeks of training for teachers in sixteen centres across the state.
He maintained that the exercise would be monitored to ensure that the schemes of work programmed in the teaching aids were in tandem with the curriculum.
“There are two sides to this intervention; we have the distribution of 18,000 tablets to our primary and secondary school teachers across all the local government areas in the state. The second is the training for 18,000 teachers across all the LGAs. So, we have 16 centres where we are training them with professors from all our universities in Oyo State.
“Not only that, we have security for these tablets, we also have the report that we will be conducting on a weekly basis to monitor our teachers to make sure they are teaching our students with the curriculum and all the subjects that are in those tablets, which is aligned to what we have in Oyo State.”
Nureni Adeniran, Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, in his remarks, said the distribution of the teaching aids would hasten teaching schemes and equally enable teachers to impart knowledge to the pupils and students in primary and junior secondary schools across all the local governments in the state.
Adeniran added that the educational intervention programme aimed at ensuring that Oyo State teachers are well-equipped in knowledge through digital learning, saying: “This programme is made possible as a result of the programme called Global Partnership in Education, which is being sponsored by the World Bank, in collaboration with UBEC and SUBEB, and it is aimed at ensuring that our teachers get the necessary skill in digital learning.
“We are in a digital age, and we are expected to move away from the analogue age. In other words, all these tablets have been built with the lesson plans for some of these subjects in them. A teacher should be able to teach without necessarily writing separate lesson notes because we have already prepared lesson notes. So, it will hasten learning.
“Also, the tablet will enable any person to take the tablet and teach any subject of interest. It will also enable our teachers to impart knowledge to the pupils.
“The training is for primary school teachers and some secondary school teachers, who are at the basic level of basic education.
This is the kind of training that is expected to upgrade the skills of our newly recruited teachers in teaching, even to meet global standards.
“And it is going on virtually in all the local government areas. We have centres in different schools. It is across the state.”
One of the teachers, Olufisayo Fajuyigbe, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, thanked Governor Makinde for his efforts in improving the education sector in the state, promising that teachers would continue to support the government and make good use of the instructional training materials and teaching aids to impact meaningfully on the pupils and students in the state.
The event had in attendance Alabi Baba-Asaju. the South-West Director, Universal Basic Education Commission, Segun Olayiwola, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Adelabu Solihu, professor and Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Faosat Sanni, Commissioner for Special Duties, and Wasilat Adegoke, Commissioner for Youth and Sports.
Others were Olubukola Oladipo, Chairperson, Oyo State Teaching Service Commission, Chairman Ayodele Adekanmbi, Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities and Ismael Raji. State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, among others.
Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has unveiled the Olaide Akinremi Jagaban Government Reserved Area (GRA) to immortalise the late All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, who represented Ibadan North Federal Constituency from 2019 till his death on July 10, 2024.
Governor Makinde, who was represented by Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, the Deputy Governor, during the unveiling of the project held at the Dominion University Road, Samonda, Ibadan, also announced that the ongoing reconstruction of UI-Samonda Road linking Sango/Poly Road would be completed soon.
The governor maintained that his decision to name the GRA after Akinremi has nothing to do with politics, noting that the state government chose to honour the memories of the late lawmaker for his notable achievements in Ibadan North Federal Constituency and Oyo State.
He assured that the project would be delivered to standard as everything needed in terms of infrastructure and other facilities in the estate was already on the ground.
Makinde equally appreciated. Akinade Fijabi, another APC chieftain and Ekefa Olubadan, for attending the event despite being an opposition party member.
Lawal said, “Today, what we are doing is very significant. I was with the governor in July 2024 when they called him from Abuja to inform him about the death of Jagaban. He said to me that ‘we have lost a gem in Ibadanland.’
“From that moment till this time, the governor and I thought on how to immortalise this gentleman, and he said immortalisation is not about giving money, building houses and giving out material things but about doing something that would be more enduring. So, the governor said there is a parcel of land at Samonda, which we can use to build an Estate and name it after Jagaban.
“So, I am very happy on behalf of the governor that the promise he made that day has come to pass today. This and everything that everyone has said about Jagaban have shown that he lived well in his time. What this means to us is that what we do in life will continue to live after us as human beings.
“Let me use this opportunity to say that, as a government, we are doing what we are supposed to do, and that is why we are immortalising Jagaban today.
“My prayer is that the Almighty Allah should uphold all the things he left. So, on behalf of the governor, I want to appreciate all of you here. I have inspected this Estate personally, and I have seen that all the things needed to build the infrastructure and other things are ready.
“The governor has also given the solid assurance that the roads linking this Estate up to Sango would be fixed, and they are being fixed right now. Strictly speaking, what we are doing today is not about politics.”
In his welcome address at the event, Oluseun Olufade, the chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, lauded the governor for immortalising a worthy indigene of Ibadan North by naming the GRA after him.
He urged political and public office holders to learn a lesson from the uncommon gesture, just as he hailed the governor for executing a lot of infrastructure development projects in the council.
In his remarks, Fijabi, the chairman of the day, commended Governor Makinde for the laudable infrastructural projects he has been executing in the state and for running an inclusive government that cares for everyone, irrespective of political affiliations.
He urged the people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency to seal the immortalisation of Akinremi by voting massively for Folajinmi Oyekunle, the PDP candidate in the by-election to fill the vacant Ibadan North House of Representatives seat slated for Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Speaking on behalf of the Akinremi family, Abideen Akinremi thanked Governor Makinde for his support to the family since the demise of their brother, assuring that the family would continue to remember the gesture.
In their separate goodwill messages and tribute to the late Akinremi, Toyin Balogun, Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion and Michael Adegbuyi, a member of the Akinremi Legacy Forum, appreciated Governor Makinde for honouring him through the generational project.
Also speaking, Tomiwa Bickersteth, the representative of the contractor, Messrs Gazzle Nigeria Limited, commended Governor Makinde for the project, which he described as a befitting legacy for the deceased.
The event had in attendance Hazeem Gbolarumi,a former deputy governor of Oyo State, and Anthony Adepoju. member representing Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Consistency, Comforter Olajide and Gabriel Babajide; members representing Ibadan North I and II state constituencies in the Oyo State House of Assembly, and Kazeem Adeniyi and Deputy Chief of Staff.
Others were Akin Williams -Funmilayo, the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Ademola Ojo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, Commissioner for Works and Transport, Segun Olayiwola, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, traditional rulers, religious leaders and members of the Akinremi Legacy Forum, among other dignitaries.
