Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti on Friday said that his administration had in the last two years returned five public schools to their original owners.
Fayemi said this during the inauguration of a model school as part of the activities marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the state.
“We returned some schools to their original owners based on requests.
“We have returned Christ School, Ado Ekiti,; Annunciation Secondary School, Ikere; Mary Immaculate Secondary School , Ado Ekiti; Saint Louis Secondary School, Ikere, and Saint Augustine’s Secondary School, Oye Ekiti, to their owners,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ekiti State was created Oct.1, 1996 out of the old Ondo State by the then military head of state, General Sanni Abacha, now deceased.
Abacha appointed the then Col. Mohammed Bawa, now deceased, as its first military governor.
NAN also reports that the newly constructed model school was named after an elderstatesman and the former Chairman, Standing Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, Chief Deji Fasuan.
The governor said that his administration’s decision to return the schools to their owners was to ensure their effective management.
He gave the assurance that his government would construct another five model colleges to replace those that had been returned and now are being managed by private bodies.
Fayemi said that the model school, built along Ado-Afao road, was named after Fasuan to promote role modeling and imbue the younger generation with patriotic spirit exhibited by the beneficiary throughout his life.
“I knew him (Fasuan) about 46 years ago. His house shared boundary with Christ’s School, which I attended.
“We all knew the role he played for the creation of Ekiti State. Those of us who had governed the state would know how he persistently troubled us just for the sake of Ekiti.
“He is one personality that will commend whatever you do well and itemise areas of inadequacies, just to ensure development”, he said.
Fayemi restated his administration’s commitment to the transformation of education and its zero tolerance to abandoning of projects.
He assured the citizens of the state that every project started by his government and those ones inherited from the previous administrations would be completed before exiting office.
“Education sector was in dire strait when we came in three years ago.
“But we have carried out reforms such as the introduction of free education up to secondary school, the payment of WAEC fees, and the abolition of education levy.
“We paid counterpart funding worth N7.6billion from 2015 to 2021 and cpntinued to ensure regular running grants to schools and payment of teachers’ salaries.
Fayemi added that all the four colleges built in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, had qualified teachers, toilets, laboratories, basketball courts and other facilities that would guarantee quality education to students.
“I seek the cooperation of parents and teachers by registering their children in schools, because not registering children of school age is an offence against the State Child’s Rights Law.
“We know teachers are role models to their students and that is why we make your welfare a priority, so make judicious use of this facility.”
Chief Deji Fasuan, a retired Permanent Secretary, appreciated the state government for the gesture.
“I am sitting before you today in appreciation of your citing this school in this location apart from naming it after me when I am still on this side of the divide.
“I could remember between 1946 and 1951, when I had to carry my loads on my head, trekked on this path from Afao to Ado Ekiti and risked either being killed by animals or being drowned by Elemi River that crossed this path.
“I am happy that I am still alive to benefit from this radical change.
“People from Afao, Are and Oke Ila in Ado-Ekiti will benefit from this school.
“Many parents are already queuing up in my home everyday lobbying to have their children enrolled here and this showed the value they placed on this facility.
“I commend the government for this lofty initiative”, he said.