28th August, 2014
Abiodun Onafuye
Former governor of Ogun State, who is now a chieftain of Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has been hit by many over his latest comment on the students’ protest after the announcement by the state government of the reduction in the tuition fees of all the state owned tertiary institutions in the state.
The former governor at his party’s rally in Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state on Sunday lambasted the incumbent governor, Ibikunle Amosun, for his handling of the matter, claiming that during his eight-year in office, there was never a student’s unrest.
The comment of Otunba Gbenga Daniel went viral on social media and most of those that reacted to the matter frowned at the statement, accusing him of being the brain behind the protest as it was politically motivated.
A Non-Government Organisation, “Ogun in Safe Hands” also berated the former governor over his comments on the student unrest that trailed the 61 percent reduction of tuition fees by the state government.
The group, in a release signed by its Coordinator, Tunde Sonuga and Secretary, Adekola Onanuga, it maintained that the Ibikunle Amosun-led administration meant well for the people by slashing the tuition fees in all the 10 tertiary institutions in the state by as much as 61 percent.
Daniel had at the political rally in Ota criticised the handling of the unrest, an attitude, according to the statement, meant to incite the students against the state government.
The NGO stated: “It is a shame that Gbenga Daniel attempted to re-write history by spewing barefaced lies. If anything, students in Ogun State endured the most torrid time in the hands of Otunba Daniel. The truth in this matter is that tuition and other fees rose by 500 percent under the Daniel administration because Daniel deprived that sector funds.
“He first hiked the acceptance fees payable by students from its initial N1, 500 during the 2003/2004 academic session to N25, 000 and only reduced it to N20, 500 after students staged several protests.
“The Daniel administration also jettisoned the funding arrangement he inherited from the Segun Osoba regime. During the Osoba administration, the state government shouldered 90 percent of the funding of its tertiary institutions, while the management of those institutions contributed 10 percent. But Daniel first changed the funding arrangement to 70-30, and then 50-50 and later 20-80. It was that heavy burden on the management of the institutions that resulted in the high tuition fees to the level where some students were forced to pay N250,000 per session.
“Otunba Daniel also goofed by saying students didn’t strike during his time as governor. We need to refresh the memory of the ex-governor that students of OOU alone protested more than three times during his administration. The protests happened in 2004/2005 over hike in tuition and transport fee; in the 2005/2006 session when several students were killed by Ago-Iwoye indigenes that were celebrating ”Oro” festival. Otunba Daniel promised to pay compensation to parents whose children were killed. He never did till he left office in 2011. In 2010/2010, students and lecturers of OOU also down tools over the non-payment of salaries to workers,” the statement revealed.
The NGO alleged: “Daniel needs to equally be reminded that students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta went on protest more than twice. They protested in 2006 over hike in tuition fee. It was that riot which eventually consumed the former Rector, Waheed Kadiri, while over 300 students were arrested and detained in Eleweran for 27days. They also went on another protest in 2008.
“In 2005, he also showed his ‘students friendliness’ to students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro when an ND 1 electrical-electrical student identified as Azeez Sonuga was killed by his goon after some hoodlums allegedly pelted the convoy of Funke, his wife, in Ilaro. “
The group maintained that the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel did more damage to the state education sector than any government in the history of the state.
It alleged that,”apart from under-funding tertiary education, he was the one that attempted to throw over 20,000 secondary school students out of schools via his ill-conceived decision to transfer key secondary schools to missionaries without proper planning.With the manner Daniel was interpreting the reasons behind the student protest; it is obvious that the former governor knows more about the violent protest than he is telling Nigerians.
“He could actually be the unseen hand propelling the students to protest over a 61 percent fee reduction.”
The state government had on Sunday pronounced the closure of the institution, and called on both parents and guardians whose children are in the school to recall them back home as any students caught will be dealt with.
The management of the institution, in furtherance to the closure, announced the proscription of the Students Union Government of the school.
Several bodies and groups have been reacting to the latest development. While some saw the action as dictatorial ,some saw it as a welcome development to forestall any civil unrest as witnessed in the city of Abeokuta, where the students damaged many vehicles before they were dispersed by the police.