Senator, representing Ibadan South, Dr Kola Balogun has screamed over myriads of problems facing the people, lamenting that never had things been as bad in almost all sectors of the national life.
He said on Saturday at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Alumni Association of Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State.
In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Mr Dapo Falade, Senator Balogun decried the worsening state of insecurity, socio-economic and infrastructural degeneration across the country.
He said the right leadership was lacking in the polity, adding that “it is very sad when some us holding leadership positions look back and there is nothing to be happy about.”
However, Senator Balogun was full of praises to pioneer leaders in the South-West, noting that the good educational foundation laid by the Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, largely accounted for the relative sense of security in the zone.
“Education is the foundation of human development. The truth is that no Nation on the Planet Earth can develop or prosper without proper and sound education. We are very lucky here in the South-West in the sense that we are not so much affected by the increasing spate of insecurity, killing, kidnapping and banditry on a scale they are witnessing in the North.
“The founding fathers of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, laid a solid foundation for education in the South-West. This has increased the knowledge of our people. Our people in the North are suffering from this high level of insecurity because their founding leaders failed to plan for the future by putting in place a solid foundation for education.
“We have been talking about restructuring and some people are against it. But restructuring does not mean break-up of the country. It simply means each federating unit embarking on development at its own pace. My constant position, yesterday, today and tomorrow is that there should be restructuring. All the critical elements of nation-building abound in Nigeria namely, landmass, population, resources and military strength.
“Nigeria should be unbundled. We should diversify all the sectors, including the economy, education, health and other critical sectors,” he said.
While addressing students of Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, Balogun said their request for two units of 500-seater lecture theatres have been submitted to TETFUND.
He also said the second option to get the project done is by putting it in the 2022 budgetary provision, just as he announced a personal donation of N500,000 to the lecture theatre projects.
Senator Balogun added the future of the country belongs to youths in general and students in particular and admonished them to work collectively to bring it back on the track to development and prosperity.
Wife of the late Eruwa-born philanthropist, Chief (Mrs) Tina Ogundoyin, was full of appreciation for the continued existence of the institution, more than 30 years after the demise of her husband, Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin.
She thanked Senator Balogun for his various interventions in the affairs of the institution, noting that the senator he is a politician who would always deliver on his promises.
“Senator Kola Balogun has the interest of this institution in mind. He walks his talks and acts on whatever he promises to do. He is passionate about the interest and welfare of the youths.
“I don’t follow politicians who are full of empty promises. I don’t follow them because I don’t want to be stoned by the people of my community,” she said.
Leave a Reply