Canada: FG’s Governing Councils For Schools Charged On Justce and Development

By ISAAC OLUSESI

Thomas Olaleye Ogungbangbe has recommended to the newly constituted Federal Boards of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria to be imbued with greater justice and demonstrate the will to do it without fear or favour, affection or ill will. And by that, the wheels of the respective federal tertiary schools can move on the wings of justice, charging that any administrative intervention or action outside of this, will be at variance with the cannons of justice to place the governing councils on the horn of dilemma.

He gave the charge in Canada, and noted that understanding the meaning of justice would enable the reportedly, five hundreds and fifty five (555) appointees on the new governing authorities for the nation’s tertiary schools, handle restless students, chanting protest voices and shouting obscenities; angry lecturers, encircled in hushed tones, warning to down tools, or having actual industrial action in view; and the institutions’ chief executives, some, too remote and caught up by the airiness of their top floor offices. The unhealthy scenery, marked by the agility that may be too difficult to fathom, is to bring federal tertiary institutions, the monuments of great significance, to a stand still.

Dr Ogungbangbe, a politician and the primus inter pares in the All Progressives Congress (APC) of IjesaNorth Federal Constituency of Osun State, said that the appointments on the education governing boards are a relieve tonic and calculative development with high premium placed on fairness and justice to the centrally governing APC, pointing up President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s passion for sensitivity, most esteemed, particularly, to the party in the state; and generally, for his profuse show of responsibility, firmed up in governance that suits the government wallets, but for the collective good of the nation.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at CITA ENERGIES Limited described the twenty two (22) appointees from Osun into the federal tertiary schools’ governing councils, as a well cultivated force for good, made up of men and women, versatile and selfless who’re prodigiously talented with sterling qualities, including, expertise, industry, and are jealous of their personal integrity.

He quipped, “Yes, I know the appointees, all from the three senatorial districts of the state. I know the Aragbji of Iragbiji, professors, SANs, doctors, Rt. honourable, and honourables as well as others that made the list. I’m happy at the appointments and wish them good health and increased wisdom. They had all served diligently in the past and some still in service, in various capacities with a sense of duty, equal competence and patriotism. And I can see, they are passionate about the enhancement of social justice and humanity, germane to the smooth administration of ivory towers.”

Ogungbangbe, drawing distinctions between the reality and the illusion and between the significant and the petty, extolled the former Osun governor and current Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola who has developed positive political dynamics, particularly, again, this time on the distribution of the board appointments in the state as highly capable of re-creating the state APC, strengthened as a single ally of collaborative forces, with the joints and limbs emboldened, a perfect preemptive strategy to advance the prosperity of the party at all fronts.

Indeed, the appointees have graciously, exhibited merits to merit citations for higher awards if the wood in the eyes is peeled off to recognize that all are gems in our midst in Osun. It’s thus good news to learn that the Aragbiji of Iragbiji HRM Oba Abdul-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi (JP) Odundun IV Asoludero has his appointment as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, preceded by other headlined awards.

The Aragbiji of Iragbiji, whose logic in any discussions with him is always engagingly robust, has his appointment as Pro Chancellor in the higher cadre of the governing council in recognition of his compassion, resilience, energy, intellectual curiosity, and personal commitment to the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion required in the nation’s tertiary institutions. And the appointment as Pro Chancellor, in the conventional mood, the orthodox mode, and in an orthodox manner to preserve the status quo in the university system, is granted as tradition, to the royalty that is hoped can draw prestige and money to the university. The Pro Chancellor is the honourary head and practical chairman of the university governing council who represents the university in ceremonial and ambassadorial capacities just as he has responsibility to seeing that the compelling business of the council is effected competently and functionally the private sector manner. Without ineptitude and paralytic slowness.

Dr Ogungbangbe, who has unflagging dedication to humanity, enjoined the new governing councils in Nigeria to bring tolerable sanity to the nation’s tertiary schools by taking on every well reasoned criticism, containing correlative suggestions, especially on dialogue and discussion on students and lecturers. He stated that the nation’s federal institutions’ governing council appointees, all have particularly, had their alma maters as the crucibles that moulded their personalities and burnished their character, and they would have to be young to be in charge of young people to break the generation wall between themselves and students, the student delineated as a dream, hope and future of the parents and government. That’s the sanity here, and it is handling any campus crisis with profound and infectious love, as the parent expects to get at end of the day his child’s certificate of excellence, not certificate of death and expects to see his golden fleece, not wooden casket.

And he charged the councils to collaborate on the efforts of the policy makers in the continuous examination of the problems of Nigeria’s educational system, also as teaching and research, the hallmark of tertiary education, are affected, and proffer solutions to make education effectively impact more on national development.

OLUSESI writes via isaacolusesi@gmail.com