We’ll continue to uplift education standards in Oyo -Makinde

Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has said that the state government will continue to support the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association to lift the standard of education and equally restore the old glory of the school.

The governor said this on Saturday, at the Government College Ibadan, while commissioning several projects facilitated by the old students of different sets of the school.

Governor Makinde, speaking shortly after the commissioning of the projects, appreciated the Old Boys Association of the school for its efforts since the inception of his administration, saying that the government alone cannot solve all the challenges in the education sector and that well-meaning individuals, old students associations and others should team up with the government.

According to him, about 60 to 70 billion Naira is required to overhaul the infrastructure in the state’s education sector.

He noted that most of the projects executed by the GCIOBA are not for the benefit of their children or immediate family but for the next generations of those who will attend the school.

He, therefore, called on other old students’ associations not to forget their alma maters by contributing to the growth of their institutions and education in the state through various projects to complement the efforts of the state government.

He said: “Let me first of all use this opportunity to appreciate the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association. Since I came in four years ago, we’ve worked together to lift the standard of education in Oyo State and to restore the old glory of the Government College Ibadan.

“I have been coming here on a yearly basis to commission projects. So, I will call on other old students, you know some of these things that they are doing, I said to them, they are not for them and perhaps not even for their children but they are concerned about the next generations. 

“I will ask other old students associations not to forget how they came to the dance floor in the first instance, they should remember their alma maters and do something for them.”

The projects commissioned by the governor and facilitated by the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association were a state-of-the-art 3-in-1 court for basketball, volleyball, and handball, a refurbished and restored library, and two separate technical education workshops for metal and wood donated by Central Bank of Nigeria in support of technical education.

On the entourage of Governor Makinde was the Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, commissioners, and other top government functionaries.