According to data released by the Cable Index earlier this year, Oyo State is in the top 20 States with the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. The State leads in the South West with this ugly reality striking everyone in their faces.
Reaffirming this ugly scenario, recent studies by agencies of the Federal Government and analysis conducted by UNICEF, which was released to the public domain in October this year have Oyo State in the top 20 States with the highest number of out-of-schoolchildren in Nigeria. The revelation tells us that the State government has not done any significant thing to the educational sector, which could help improve the quality of education.
To portray himself as someone who is all-out for an all-round attack on the educational sector, the Governor has moved a step further to convert the State public library into shopping malls. Nothing could be more disheartening than reading the news of the conversion. This is because it is expected that the government should be working constantly to improve the learning and reading culture of the people, particularly given the current lack of reading culture.
It is important to tell Governor Seyi Makinde and his co-travelers that the library plays a very important role in improving literacy and fostering a reading culture in society. Or, where else can one access books all for free if not at a public library funded and maintained with taxpayers’ money? I must state unequivocally that libraries in Oyo State do not need conversion to a shopping mall, they need sustained and substantial funding, which is lacking. Unfortunately, Governor Seyi Makinde cannot point to any public library that received funding attention from him in the last 5 years.
I could remember growing up at Kusidi, Ibadan, whenever an area brother of mine, Booda Tunji (as I fondly called him) wanted to wind up and read without any form of disturbance, most especially to access reading materials that were not easily accessible, he will take me along to the public library at Orita-Aperin. Going along with him to the public library significantly helped in my passion for knowledge till today. Unfortunately, public libraries are dead in present-day Nigeria.
Libraries play a vital role in learning, and they strengthen literacy and education. No government can claim to be committed to eradicating illiteracy and addressing the lack of a reading culture while simultaneously undermining the existence of public libraries. By providing books and other materials for people to read and use, a library helps advance research and preserve knowledge. Approaching a library helps citizens with self-development which was what someone like myself benefitted from, growing up.
By destroying a library, Seyi Makinde is telling the Nigerian people that he does not care about promoting literacy. I expected that someone like Seyi Makinde, who is being touted for the Presidency, would be concerned about the scarcity of libraries in the State. Ibadan has just 3 libraries that are gradually going into extinction and Governor Seyi Makinde has commenced his attack on the library board by ordering the demolition of the library headquarters situated at Dugbe. What will happen to the two other libraries at Bodija and Orita-Aperin, which have been left abandoned for a long time?
As against the narrative spun by the Acting Publicity Secretary of Oyo State PDP in a press statement earlier this week, the supposed funding that the educational sector has gotten under the Seyi Makinde has not for once reflected in all available ratings. The number of out-of-school children in the State grew from 12% in 2020 to 20.1% in 2024. That is no improvement at all. It is an indictment that the State government has only been paying lip service to quality delivery as far as the educational sector is concerned. It calls for a probe to be conducted on the funding so far.
Rather than trade in blame-game which the Acting Publicity Secretary of the Party was doing in the press text, he should come out to tell the populace with facts and figures what the State government has done to boost enrollment of schoolchildren and to ultimately save the educational sector. Funding education goes beyond renovation and construction of blocks of classrooms which the Seyi Makinde-led administration has invested energy in. Meanwhile, the construction and renovation are not even all-inclusive. Funding education has to include teachers’ training and retraining, curriculum development, and other factors that truly drive education quality. Governor Seyi Makinde and his praise singers should tell us his objectives and attainments in this regard.
I make bold to say that no progressive and right-thinking individual will support the crude decisions being taken by the Governor, most especially the conversion of the library at Dugbe to a shopping mall. Even if the State is not topping the list of States with out-of-school children in the South West, it is a reckless act to convert a public library to a shopping mall. The intention has to be probed. Is the Governor trying to deny the people of Oyo State access to books? He is not running a knowledge-driven State. More disturbing is the fact that there are not many public spaces again in Oyo State. From Trans Amusement Park to Agodi Gardens now to public libraries; there is a coordinated attack on recreation centers by Seyi Makinde and his cronies.
Governor Seyi Makinde should stop deceiving the general populace that he has been investing in the educational sector when indeed the State is part of the 27 States that have failed to access UBEC funds between 2020 to 2024. Despite primary education being the cornerstone of academic pursuit, unfortunately, no one is taking action to make sure that quality primary and secondary education is accessible to our future leaders. The State has been producing children who could not access quality education, hence, their inability to compete with their peers on the global stage.
The Acting Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the State, while reacting to criticism, was alleging the Ajimobi-led administration of abandoning the library. He also said that when the library was built in Dugbe, the area wasn’t a business district, so it was necessary to demolish the building and move it to a different location. That statement reeks of recklessness and ignorance. Let us assume without conceding that the late Governor Ajimobi did not do anything to revamp the library, is that not enough challenge for Governor Seyi Makinde to renovate and refurbish the library to improve access to educational materials in a State with the highest number of out-of-schoolchildren in the South West?
That Oyo State has the highest number of out-of-school children in the South West reflects insincerity, incompetence, neglect, and lack of vision by the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration. Rather than being ridden on the blame game, this administration must understand that there is still time for it to correct the existing errors. Governor Seyi Makinde must brace up and vow that he is not ready to nurture another generation of illiterates. We must stop the conversion of the library to a shopping mall. Governor Seyi Makinde must pledge to renovate and refurbish all libraries across the state, demonstrating his commitment to promoting literacy.
Oyo State must not be the pacesetter in having the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the South West. And, Governor Seyi Makinde should be worried that Oyo State which was the capital of the Old Western Region (a region that pioneered free, universal education in Africa) is contributing significantly to the national out-of-school population.
Governor Seyi Makinde must instead start renovating the existing libraries that have become so dilapidated and unattractive because of lack of maintenance. The State Ministry of Information must generate awareness among the populace about the important role that libraries play in modern communities, or the many roles they could play if they had more support. The State government must also commence public enlightenment campaigns and other activities that will encourage reading and literacy amongst various communities. To combat the shortage of libraries and encourage literacy, the State government must build more libraries.
Kazeem Olalekan Israel writes from Ibadan, Nigeria.
