Federal College Of Education Iwo: Is Too Soon To Celebrate -By Azeez Ridwan

Barely, 24 hours after the announcement of siting the Federal College of Education allocated to the State of Osun by a bill of the National Assembly and acknowledgement by the Federal Ministry of Education to Iwo, protest had been reported to have erupted in the Former Governor Bisi Akande resident in Ila-Orangun condemning the approval and allocation letter issued by the Federal Ministry of Education allocating the said institution to Iwo Federal Constituency is a miscarriage of justice and being politically motivated to be diverted to Iwo Federal Constituency in General and Iwo Local Government in particular, demanding that the decision of the Federal Ministry of Education be revisit to give the devil his due.

However, the Nigerian Tribune, a National daily in Nigeria reported on same day that the Federal Ministry of Education has not yet fixed any location for the College of Education, condemning every information circulating on socio-media as fake, baseless and groundless.

If we can recall, a one page letter, bearing a letter-head of the Federal Ministry of Education, affirming siting of the Federal College of Education in Iwo trends and rent the air at a very early hours of Friday 15th, May 2020, and duly signed by the Permanent secretary to the Minister of Education Arch. Sonny S.T Echono, clearly and unequivocally allocate the siting of the Federal College of Education to Iwo in Iwo Local Government.

Confusions materialises as it was later reported by the Nigerian Tribune that the Federal Ministry of Education has all of a sudden disclaim the purported circular of the Federal Ministry of Education. It should be critically noted that Osun had been allocated a Federal College together with some other states which include Bauchi and Sokoto States among others, While Same letter of approval and allocations were served to both states on the same day as earlier mentioned, with the siting of that of Bauchi in Jama’are in Jama’are Local Government of Bauchi State and Osun to be located in Iwo, Iwo Local Government respectively.

Let me annoy you once again, that the Federal Ministry of Education’s approval and allocation letter trending on socio-media now disregarded, was dated 16 of April 2020, while the letter came to public notice on 15th May 2020. The question is why disclaiming a letter so long dated.

As a submission I would like to make in this regard, it is Important that we don’t relax too soon as fact and findings came to give us a clear indication that something is wrong somewhere, and we in Iwo can’t stand the pain of losing a wonderful opportunity of such once again.

Since the creation of Osun State Iwo Federal constituency has not even for once had a state or federal owned institution, it will be a dirty slap on our ugly face if we loose this again, Let everyone be on a red alert. Is our collective responsibility to salvage our dearest hometown.