Gov Ajimobi insists Schools which protested against me must apologize or remain shut

Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has requested for a letter of apology from schools whose pupils took part in a protest against government’s proposed education initiative.

Alhaji Abiodun Jimoh, the Chairman, National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Oyo State Chapter, said this in Ibadan on Thursday after a meeting with the governor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that pupils in the state on June 6 went on a rampage in protest against the state government’s proposed public/private participatory management of schools.

The pupils had protested following allegations that the state government had sold their schools.

NAN, however, reports that government had several times dismissed the allegations, saying the initiative was participatory and aimed at boosting the education sector.

Jimoh told newsmen that the association had visited the governor to appeal to him to re-open the schools which were shut down by the state government over the incident.

The NAPTAN chairman said that the governor had expressed displeasure over the involvement of pupils in the protest.

He said that Ajimobi had demanded that he would re-open the schools only if the affected institutions submitted letters of apology to the government over the unruly behaviour of their pupils.

“The governor said that the heads of the schools should write letters of apology to the government.

“We have promised him that we will meet with the heads of the schools to immediately write the letter in the interest of the pupils.

“We are fed up with the strike action and our children staying at home for so long. We want them back in school and for teachers to resume at their duty posts,” he said.

Jimoh also said that the association would wade into the face-off between labour and government.

He said that the governor had explained to them the agreement reached with labour on the modalities for the payment of salaries to workers.

Jimoh said that the governor had also stressed the need for labour to embrace dialogue, saying his government was predisposed to this anytime. 

[NAN]