Afe Babalola extols Fayose’s education policy, APC disagrees

THE founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has said the Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose is showing the zeal to re-position education in the state and restore its lost glory.

The renowned lawyer, who commented on the education summit organised by the state government recently, said a similar one organised during Fayose’s first term, really improved the standard of education in the state and catapulted it to among the best in the country.

In a statement in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, Aare Babalola recalled that the
governor organised a summit 12 years ago which yielded fruits as shown by the performance of students from the state in public examinations.

On why he is throwing his weight behind the governor and the summit, Aare Babalola said: “I must say nobody must have any doubt about my
position. I love this man, I love him because we have something in common. He’s a man of action, I love him because he’s a realistic man.
He’s dynamic, he’s fearless, and when he says yes it is yes, when he says no it is no, this man is energetic and you need an energetic person to carry out anything you want to do.”

Aare Babalola, who commended the energy and zeal with which the governor handles state matters, sought the cooperation of all with the
governor to make Ekiti a pride of all.

The ABUAD founder also charged parents and guardians to be ready to sacrifice whatever it would take to give their wards quality education
and to note that government alone cannot do everything, as citizens must offer their support.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has described as fraud, the education summit called by Fayose to develop a blueprint for primary and secondary school education. It said the summit was a ploy to rubber stamp the governor’s premeditated imposition of school fees and taxes on the people of the state.

The party dismissed the summit as a pre-determined agenda to make already impoverished parents start paying school fees, alleging that Fayose goaded the unsuspecting participants into endorsing his agenda to foist school fees and other ridiculous taxes on the people of the state

Publicity secretary of the party in the state, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the summit was a media hype and deceit, that achieved three things, including the imposition of school fees in primary and secondary schools, imposition of unreasonable taxes on the people and taxes on the landlords.

According to him: “We note that the three decisions boil down to a further impoverishment of the already over-stretched poor parents, who were deceived by Fayose during campaigns that he would provide all good things of life and empowerment schemes, including economic incentives to enable parents to take care of their wards, only for the governor to start unleashing hardships on the parents after inauguration as gover