For several weeks now, tertiary institutions across Ondo State have been shut down due to an ongoing strike by academic and non-academic staff. What started as a disagreement between government and unions has now turned into a full-blown crisis that is affecting students, parents, lecturers, and the entire education system in the state. Instead of taking quick and serious steps to resolve the matter, the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has allowed the situation to drag on with no clear plan or urgency.
Hon. Toyin Anibire Adams a.k.a Obailukan said the Governor has abandoned his primary responsibility in Ondo State. Rather than calling the unions and relevant authorities for a roundtable to negotiate and end the strike, he has been moving from one state to another. Just recently, he was in Osun State to campaign for the APC governorship candidate at a time when the education system in Ondo remains completely shut down.
Obailukan described this as a clear case of negligence of duty. He said a governor’s primary assignment is to protect his state, fix the economy, and ensure education works. A governor cannot abandon what concerns Ondo people and go to oversee what does not concern him. This silence and delay is a serious indictment of the government’s commitment to education and the future of our young people.
Right now, thousands of students are at home with nothing to do. Lecture halls are empty. Academic calendars have been completely disrupted. Parents who are struggling to pay school fees are now more frustrated because their children are wasting time at home. The future of many young people is hanging in the balance. Some students will graduate late, some may drop out, and others are being exposed to idleness, social vices, and economic hardship because they have no structure or direction. This is happening in Ondo State, a state that is known and respected for its strong educational values and history. It is painful and unacceptable.
As the opposition party in Ondo State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) cannot keep quiet while the education of our children is being destroyed by administrative failure and avoidable disagreement. Governance is not about making excuses. It is about finding solutions. Whatever the issues are between the government and the unions, whether it is about unpaid allowances, poor funding, or poor communication, the responsibility lies with the government to bring everyone to the table and resolve it. A responsible government does not fold its arms and watch institutions collapse.
The people of Ondo are asking one simple question: How much longer will our children remain at home before this government takes decisive action? Education should never be used as a political tool or be sacrificed because of politics. The Aiyedatiwa administration must stop treating this strike like a normal labour matter. This is a crisis that affects the future of the state, and it requires urgent leadership, dialogue, transparency, and honesty.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) believes that if government owes any money, they should communicate clearly with the unions and the public. If there are disagreements on how to implement agreements, the government should negotiate in good faith and give a realistic timeline for resolution. What our students do not deserve is silence, confusion, and endless postponement. Governor Aiyedatiwa was elected to govern, and part of that job is to confront difficult problems head-on. The continued closure of our schools shows that this government has not shown enough urgency or seriousness.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) stands firmly with Ondo students, parents, lecturers, and all stakeholders in the education sector whose lives and dreams are being affected by this crisis. Ondo State deserves a government that acts before small problems become big disasters. Our students deserve to be in classrooms, not at home making excuses.
We therefore call on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to act now. Resolve the strike immediately. Meet with the unions. Pay what is owed. Communicate clearly. And return all tertiary institutions in Ondo State to normal academic activities. The future of Ondo’s young people must not be held hostage to governmental indecision.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Media Executive,
Office of the Founder and Convener,
Obailukan Strategic Support Group for Atiku — OSSAT
