University of Ilesa; The Hiccups, The Downs and The Dramas - by Komolafe Tolulope Joshua

University of Ilesa;The Hiccups, The Downs and The Dramas

                        by Komolafe Tolulope Joshua

   

"Tell no lies, claim no easy victory tell it to the people the way it is."

         Amicar Cadabral

First of all, for those who know me personally and from time, would understand that my philosophy deals with carrying all necessary stakeholders along in governance. I personally detest when you use a fire brigade approach to actualise your aim(s) and objective(s).

If there's any hiccup today in the establishment of the University of Ilesa then there are some persons that should take responsibility, of which some of them are the traditional rulers in the land where we have the Owa Obokun as the head, then the management of the defunct Osun State College of Education, Ilesa then paramountly the main actor of all this scenes which is the Osun State Government ably led by the supposed silent governor in person of Gboyega Oyetola. Before i proceed to give further analysis I'll like to state categorically that i belong to only one political party which is the party that will promote and protect the interest of Ijesaland without fear or favor.

On Sunday 19th of November, 2022, i received a WhatsApp message at one of the platforms i belong to that there will be an "urgent press conference" organised by the leaders of Ijesaland at the Owa Obokun Civic Centre in Ilesa where issues that bothers around the establishment of the University of Ilesa will be discussed and as a youth stakeholder and probably a leader that our presence is needed. As at when I received the message, i was in Ogun State planning to stay back for some days but i had to obey the clarion call so the following day, I left Ogun State first thing the following morning since that was what i signed up for. Without much rhetorics, the D-day came which was on the 20th of November where unavoidably I had to be at thpe venue before the event started, however there were some delay but in all sincerity not an intentional one from the people who has called for it.

When we talk about blame, or apportioning it to some individuals on matters like this where the staff of the defunct Osun State College of Education, Ilesa are protesting against, then we have to necessarily direct such to the silent governor who has deemed it fit amidst this crisis choose to remain silent. It's alarming, it's desecrating, and violates fundamental principles of communication. The idea that you're upgrading an existing institution without carrying the necessary stakeholders in that former  institution along fully on this process sends a message to a sane and right-thinking man like me that there are not just sinister motives attached to this but also ulterior motives. As the (defunct) staff of Osun State College of Education, Ilesa are concerned about the silence of Mr governor on salient matters like this, it will also be of good for public consumption that the indigenes of Ijesa have mixed feelings on the establishment of the institution.

The next question is how and why would there be mixed feelings from the Ijesa community? You would recollect I stated that I had to attend a press conference on the 20th of November, 2022 called by ijesa leaders to address the establishment of the University of ilesa where of course questions were raised from different corners. 

Now, before I proceed, I would like to make something clear at this juncture that no one is against the development of Ijesaland and no one is against the progress of the land to the best of my knowledge. Ijesa is blessed not only with natural resources like we have all around but also with human capital resources.

 Moving straight to the main point which has do with the mixed feelings the people across Ijesaland are having, this aspect is aimed and is concerned with what will be their benefit and their gain as a community who is hosting the government owned institution and who has also played a pivotal and significant role in actualising this long aged dream. 

First on this matter, there's a need to access the law that established the upgrade of this institution and the MOU signed by the ijesa leaders who are part of the frontrunners in the establishment of this institution and see what and what will be of benefit to the teeming youths and indigenes of ijesaland. According to the psychological egoists, they said and I quote that "every human person is rationally packaged to be self interested" and to be self interested means putting your interest first before another person's own. Now my question again is, what and what will be the benefit of the indigenes of the ijesa community admission-wise, job-wise, and even contract wise, not forgetting all being based on merit except the tuition fees, where of course there should be a pay cut or special consideration for people of Osun State and most especially the good people of Ijesaland considering the efforts of the stakeholders in the land to make the institution come into place of which  these were the same set of questions which were put forward by me and my colleagues during the press conference and of which were not in-depthly looked into.

My fear, hence is taken from the book of Psalm 11:3

(King James Version)

 "if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"The truth is if we fail as a community to address those questions aforementioned then there will probably be no doubt that we would keep running into some  problems if we fail to address those foundational issues like pay cut for indigenes of Osun state and ijesa land, job employment opportunities for us when there's a tie between the people of ijesa land and people from other places (based on merit), admission based on catchment area for Osun and ijesa indigines etc.

 The truth is no one is against the development of ijesa land to the best of my knowledge but if these issues are not addressed now, then it will not be out of place to say there will be some problems and kind of unpleasant circumstances in the nearest future if there's  no well explained social contract that brought the institution in place  at the disposal of the masses. 

Beyond mere words, the State government needs to necessarily engage the people of ijesa land and have more of like a town hall meeting or a press conference that will make the Ijesas know their fate and where their destiny lie in having an institution within their jurisdiction.

The defunct staff of the defunct Osun State college of Education, Ilesa  need to also understand their fate as to know how the institution will be practically  transitioned to a university we want in Ijesa land. Let's not forget that none of the current staff of this institution are currently in the governing council announced by the State government yesterday of which you don't need to be a professor or a doctor to have space in that council; it's bad and pathetic which I am sure this is part of their agitations aside from wanting to know what and what process it will take to be a staff in the institution established by the silent governor after it has been upgraded to a university now.

Without much ado, this is a clarion call for all the obas in ijesaland and the Owa Obokun who is the paramount head and who also has children as every staff of the defunct institution not to keep quiet and ask questions as to what I have stated above. 

The part of blame on the management of the defunct OSCOED is due to their silence so far and not voicing out in due course so that the populace will know what is going on but like they say, it's better to be late than never. So there's still hope to address all these lingering issues because since there's still life there's hope.

My succinct advice for the silent governor as opined by Hon. Wale Adedoyin of Ilesa West constituency that instead of taking to the street like what is going on right now by the defunct staff OSCOED at the defunct OSCOED that they should rather engage with the stakeholders , which I expect the state government should initiate this rather than just playing games that are not healthy for the land and the people.

Dear Mr governor and stakeholders in ijesaland, it's high time you come out of your shell to engage the people and tell us practical way forwards on how the existing students which some of them are your children will be catered for and the current defunct staff will be retained (the qualified ones) and also addressing the questions I have enlisted above.

If Obokun will gbe wa, then we have to write the script well for posterity to judge us well also.

Baba re a agbe ooo.  .

Komolafe Tolulope Joshua is a son of the soil who has his descent from the Odo Ile Owa and hails from Itagunmodi in Atakumosa West region of Ijesa land, Osun State.

He can be reached via WhatsApp or calls through 2348055978328 and komolafejoshua6@gmail.com