Olajide Osoba, Abeokuta
The Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun will next week meet with the leadership of Abeokuta Club on the purported relocation of the proposed Moshood Abiola University of Technology, MAUSTECH, away from the state capital, Abeokuta.
This according to the President, Abeokuta Club, Engr. Tokunbo Odebunmi, Abeokuta will end the logjam over the permanent site of the proposed University.
It would be recalled that, former governor Ibikunle Amosun in 2017 through the State House of Assembly enacted a law to establish MAUSTECH and replaced MAPOLY with Ogun State Polytechnic situated in Ipokia.
The changes by the ex-governor led to controversies and protests by both lecturers and students before he left office.
But Governor Dapo Abiodun upon assumption of office ordered that Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta should revert to its status quo ante with full academic activities restored.
The governor also set up a committee to look into the operational modalities of Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, Abeokuta; and Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia.
While the committee awaiting memoranda from stakeholders, governor Abiodun on Thursday submitted a bill to the Ogun state House of Assembly to repeal the law that establish MAUSTECH, but the Egba Club on Saturday condemned the governor decision describing it as unwelcome development.
” The recent development, being initiated by prince Dapo Abiodun Administration, are apparently against the interest of Egbas. We had looked up to governor for fairness and equality in the distribution of projects and structures across the 3 senatorial District only for him to look the other way.
“The Egbas would not like to think of a situation whereby the governor being the referee now chooses to shift the goal post in the course of a football match. This is in relation to govorner setting up a panel on the operational modalities of Moshood Abiola University of Science and technology (MAUSTECH) “, and without waiting for the recommendation of the panel which had received memorandum from all the stakeholders, Mr Governor hurriedly sent in a dated 18th July, 2019 to amend the MAUSTECH law.”
The club emphasized that distribution of the Seventeen (17) State – owned tertiary institutions are lopsided in favour of Ogun East Senatorial District.
They noted that the only two full – fledged Universities in the State (Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun) are both situated in Ogun East, leaving only MAPOLY and DS Adegbenro (ICT) Polytecnic, Itori in Ogun Central and Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa to Ogun West.
They therefore said any attempt to either tinker with the law to deprive Ogun Central Senatorial District of its first and only state-sponsored full-fledged university was to play on the sensibilities of the Egbas and in effect create bad blood in the state.
They however enjoined Governor Abiodun to jettison politics of vendetta promoted by his associates and consider good governance to embrace equity, fairness and justice by retaining MAUSTECH in Abeokuta.
