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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has expressed displeasure over neglect of his legacy in the technical colleges by successive governments after him.
He stressed that the money he invested to buy state-of-the-art equipment for the eleven colleges when he was governor of the state has been wasted because the equipment is still locked, almost thirteen years after he left office.
Oyinlola stated this at the weekend when he unveiled the new College of Health Sciences and Information Technology named after his late mother, Alolade Oyinlola, at his hometown, Okuku in Odo-Otin Local Government of Osun.
He said, “Our intention was to train students who will graduate and will not be looking for what they call greener pasture after leaving the school. Unfortunately, the equipment we bought for the 11 technical colleges are still locked up till today.”
Oyinlola who is the Proprietor of Alolade College of Health Sciences and Information Technology said he does not need to be given a national award to contribute to the development of education, noting that he ruled Lagos state at a turbulence time without firing a gun and also put an end to 100 years war between Ife and Modakeke with construction of six campuses of Osun State University.
He disclosed that he started the building of the college in 2007 because of his love for education, lamenting that the health sector has the greatest deficiency in the country, hence the decision to focus more on health courses.
Oyinlola, however, assured that Alolade Oyinlola College of Health Sciences and Information Technology will operate with the highest standard, saying “through the college, students are presented with various opportunities to gain new knowledge and be equipped with skills needed to build their future.”
He disclosed that diploma programmes in Environmental Health Technology, Health Information Technician, Medical Laboratory Technician and Community Extension Workers are ready with three-year course, while three years for certificate courses in Health Care Technician and two years in Junior Community Health Extension Workers (JCHEW) and Health Care Assistants are ready.
The chairman of the implementation committee of the college, Prof Peter Okebukola, who called for re-orientation of the education system, promised that he would visit the college occasionally to teach and also drag top-notch professionals, scholars to teach in the new college.
A member of the implementation committee and former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, said the decision to be lecturing in the college is to make it a practically oriented institution.
He also stressed that education system needs reorientation. saying that people are not remunerated because of their productivity, hence the relegation of polytechnics and colleges of education.
