Following the recent School resumption date extension till “Further Notice” as announced by the Edo State Government, coupled with the flimsy and practically senseless explanations they adduced as reasons for the extension, the leadership and members of the Consolidated APC Grassroots Movement (CAGraM) Edo State Chapter ably led by its chairman, Dr Andrew Osaigbovo Omosefe, is deeply concerned and worried that Gov. Godwin Obaseki has unfortunately plummeted to the worrisome level of playing dirty politics with the Education and future of the Edo State School Children.
This pathetic development is unprecedented in the history of Edo State Politics. It underscores the fact that Obaseki places zero premium on Education. It also highlights his apathy and indifference to the educational development of the average Edo pupil/Student, giving credence to why he has literally destroyed the educational system in Edo State from the Primary to Tertiary level, subjecting it to rot with no substantial investment in the almost eight (8) years of his outgoing administration.
The falsehood of fuel hike tension and the fictitious intelligence report on perceived violence that’s been peddled as reasons for the extension is simply a subterfuge used to mask the real reason for the postponement.
Edo CAGraM’s independent investigations have revealed that the extension has nothing to do with the aforementioned as concocted but purely political.
With the increasing rejection of the PDP and Asue/Ogie in Edo State, their campaign rallies have become deserted hence the Edo State Government through the Education Commissioner, Joan Oviawe, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and the 18 Local Government Areas Education Secretaries came up with the ignoble idea of mobilizing and coercing primary and post-primary school teachers across the State, conveying them in fleet of ECTS Comrade buses to the different locations of their campaigns itineraries to fill venues of the rallies.
For emphasis, Most of the attendees of their rallies are Teachers. They have even shamelessly gone to the point of using the color of Tee shirts and Caps to differentiate between teachers invited by the Commissioner and those invited by the SUBEB Chairman. Therefore, allowing schools to resume on the 9th of September as earlier designed to fit the 2024/2025 academic calendar will be disastrous to their ongoing campaign. This is simply preposterous!
Our investigations have also unearthed the fact that contrary to the bogus claims made by the outgoing government on the EdoBest program, Gov. Obaseki has refused to release Teacher’s due promotion since 2022. This has been a major source of demotivation for Teachers, who remain the drivers of any policy on education.
Consequently, Edo CAGraM Condemns the school resumption date extension which is at the behest of the government of the day, berates its insensitivity to the educational needs of the Edo Child, the unaltruistic disposition of Gov. Obaseki and the nasty political game he is playing with the education and future of our kids. CAGraM notes with despair that this avoidable loss of learning time will no doubt stretch the Edo students in public and privately owned schools, leading to an irrecoverable loss of learning due to the inability to cover the scope/curriculum. This will invariably create a lacuna in the lives of School Children in Edo State. Also, the needless, prolonged, and idle stay at home further exposes them to social vices inimical to society.
Again, Edo CAGraM wishes to reiterate its call on Edo People to use their PVC wisely and vote out these sets of political capitalists who care less about the future of our children than their transactional interest and that of their business partners in Lagos. APC and Senator Monday Okpebholo remain the answer for an empathetic, reasonable, and humane government that Edo truly deserves.
Signed.
Hon. Ukato Thomas
Edo State Publicity Secretary, CAGraM.