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Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has called on stakeholders in the education sector to urgently tackle the problem of access to tertiary education in the country.
Governor Abiodun said that the problem could be tackled by increasing the carrying capacity of tertiary institutions as well as establishing new ones in the country.
The governor made this known during the official opening ceremony of the Aletheia University, Ago-Iwoye, saying that the opening of the institution represented a dream of a society where education is not just a privilege, but a right for everyone.
“Statistics show us that almost two million candidates apply for admission into our tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Out of this number, only about 800,000 are able to secure admission. This leaves a huge gap because of the limited carrying capacity of our various institutions.
“Therefore, there is an urgent need to tackle this problem of access through the approach of increasing the carrying capacity of our institutions as well as establishing new ones.
“Definably, government alone cannot handle this, hence, there is a need to establish more private institutions like this,” he said.
Prince Abiodun, while noting that his administration, having recognised the transformative power of education, introduced the Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda (OGSERA), which he said, had made the state the only one in the country with the Learners Identification Number (LIN).
The governor added that the LIN had enabled his administration to identify, and also follow the progress of students in the public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Abiodun also said that OGSERA would help transform education in the state, ultimately fostering a more skilled, knowledgeable and empowered generation ready to contribute to the state’s social economic development.
“The Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda (OGSERA), stands as a testament to our determination to provide quality education that is accessible to all.
“We have laid this foundation, and today, Ogun State is the only state in the country that has what we call Learner Identification Number (LIN), meaning that every student in Ogun State has an LIN by which they are identified. This allows us to follow them from elementary, primary, secondary education; so we know the number of students in Ogun State. This is not applicable in any other state in the country,” he said.
In his welcome address, the founder of the institution, Maj. Gen. Sansadeen Awosanya (rtd), said the school was established with a vision to be a world- class institution in a unique learning environment, noting that graduands of the institution would receive both academic and entrepreneurial certificates.
The Pro-Chancellor of the School and former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. (Mrs.) Onikepo Akande, said the setting up of the university was to further pursue the founder’s dedication to serve God and humanity.
The Ebumawe of Ago- Iwoye, Oba Abdulrasaq Adenuga, appreciated the state government for reconstructing the Ilisan-Ago -Iwoye road which he said had impacted on the socio-economic development of towns in the axis.
