The recent promise made by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to review downward tertiary institutions tuitions in the state has been described as a ruse by his deputy, Agboola Ajayi.
Ajayi, the governorship candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), said one of the cogent reasons he fell out with Akeredolu was the increase in tuitions of the state-owned tertiary institutions, without caring about the financial strength of parents.
Describing Akeredolu’s promise at the 11th hour to the governorship election as an afterthought and sign of panic that he would lose the October 10, 2020 election, Ajayi, in a statement by Allen Sowore, his Special Adviser (Media), said, “The public would recall that one of the major disagreements between Agboola Ajayi and his boss the governor, was on the governor’s insensitive decision to commercialise education and make it unaffordable to ordinary people in a state, where education is about the only industry.
“The deputy governor had sharply disagreed with the obnoxious policy of an increase in the tuition fees and stoppage of the payment of WASSCE fees for secondary school pupils.
“Agboola Ajayi is, however, surprised that Mr. Governor muted a reduction in the tuition fees without making reference to the efforts of the deputy governor overtime on the vexed and contentious issue.
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“The good people of Ondo State should be wary of this proposed supposed change of heart as it does not in any way represent a genuine love for the masses.
“It’ is a manipulative Greek gift and decoy solely intended to swindle the people of their votes (that is, their power) in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
“A man who has refused to listen to the agitations of the people on the matter of excessively hiked fees for more than three years, whose wife told protesting university students to ‘go to hell’, cannot be trusted with dire minutes promise let alone implementation at a time when defeat at the polls has become his constant nightmare.”
Ajayi, therefore, urged the people to be steadfast and resolute in their efforts to bring about a people-friendly government, which he said was underway through a coalition of the people themselves.
He said: “Akeredolu’s proposed gift should be rejected for what it truly is. It is Greek and unnecessary (gift) now after many students had dropped out of school over hiked tuition fees.”
