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From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Ikenne indigenes, under the aegis of Ikenne People’s Forum and Ikenne Development Association (IDA), have called on Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and the authorities of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), to rescind the state government’s decision to move away the Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences from Ikenne, to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
The association, therefore, threatened legal action against the state government should it fail to reverse the decision in 8 days..
The group made the call, on Monday, while briefing journalists at a press conference held at Obafemi Awolowo Square, Ikenne.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, the president of Ikenne People’s Forum, Adeleke Adesina, argued that the relocation of the College to OOUTH, Sagamu, would ruin the socio-economic life of the Ikenne people, who who according to him, “had invested a lot of their resources to service the university staff and students”.
Adesina, who alleged that the state government and authorities of OOU conspired to ridicule the memory of the late Obafemi Awolowo by moving away the College, also noted facilities at the College donated over the years by Ikenne indigenes, had been left to waste away.
He disclosed that when news filtered in 2016 that the College would be relocated from the town, a letter was written to the governor and the vice chancellor of OOU, demanding explanation on the relocation plan, but no response was gotten.
In Adesina’s words: “We also made efforts on our part to find out what could be reasons for this inconsiderate action. The only significant reason we were to establish is lack of enough facilities. This came to us as a rude shock, as nobody had deemed it necessary to approach us for possible assistance as a reliable benefactor of the university in the past and a major stakeholder.
“Those that took the action ignored the philosophy behind the establishment of the university. We were therefore shocked to discover in March this year, that all the departments at the Ikenne campus have moved to Sagamu, except for Anatomy which peculiar circumstance cannot allow them to move now.
“We hereby demand that Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences be returned to its statutory location, Ikenne. That, if by the end of 28 days after this press conference, nothing positive is done towards addressing issues raised towards a reversal of the decision to move the campus to Sagamu, we shall have no alternative than to seek legal solution”.
When contacted on phone to comment on the issue, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Ogun State, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, could not be reached as her personal assistant told our correspondent she was at a lecture.
