Inhabitants of Esa-Oke in Obokun local government have kicked against the purported plan by the government of Ademola Adeleke to move the state College of Technology from the town.
The community in a video obtained by Blueprint correspondent, Monday, vowed to resist the plan of the government with whatever was within their power.
The youth of the town who spoke in the video said that the plan to relocate 10 of the 16 departments in the institution to Ibokun, the hometown of the chairman of the governing council, Diran Odeyemi, has been exposed.
“We will barricade the school gate Tuesday with masquerade. Whoever wants to shoot should shoot us and whoever wants to kill us should not hesitate,” the youths said.
In a statement, the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, stated that the allegation of planning to site a satellite campus of the institution elsewhere is “unfounded and entirely baseless, saying the allegation “must have emanated from anti-government individuals who are enemies of peace, tranquility, and progress of the State.
“The Ministry enjoins the good people of Esa-Oke community to rest assured that the Institution continues to exist within the community as there are no plans to establish any Satellite campus in the now, by Osun State Government.”
Similarly, the chairman governing council, Diran Odeyemi, in a separate statement, explained that the council plans to seek NBTE approval for a proposed Mass Communication program and the new program being proposed will require the setting up of necessary facilities for teaching and practicals.
“For the purpose of emphasis, we are not relocating any department away from the main campus of the College. What we plan to do is to expand our academic scope through mounting of new programs without adding more burden to finances of the institution,” Odeyemi said.
