The attention of the authorities of the Sikiru Adetona College of Education, formerly known as the Tai Solarin College of Education, has been drawn to an audio tape making the rounds in the name of a faceless character called “Ologundudu.” The tape sought to do a wholesale condemnation of past and present state administrations of Ogun State, Traditional rulers, the Council and management of the college for all manner of wild allegations.To these faceless authors everybody is bad. 

Ordinarily, this type of anonymous diatribe should be ignored but given the rampaging effect of the social media, it was thought that a short statement should be made to inform members of the public and all stakeholders to put things in proper context.

Those who are familiar with the story of this college will know that it has suffered from a long drawn instability arising from non-payment of salaries for many months by the last two administrations in this state. This was matched by radical and totally unbending staff unions. Indiscipline, criminality and absenteeism became endemic in the college. The present state administration inherited a college in dire straits in which discipline had broken down completely.

It is on record that the current administration in the state swiftly proceeded to tackle the problems of the college as follows:-

1. It appointed a visitation panel to look at the problems of the college comprehensively,

2. Based on the recommendation of the visitation panel, it proceeded to appoint the first Council for the College in eleven years of the College’s existence headed by Prince Adeyemi Adefulu, MFR, a lawyer, politician and an experienced administrator,

3. It restored regular payment of staff salaries which had been in arrears for quite some time, an inheritance from the last two administrations. 

The new Council was constituted on 27th November, 2019 and for the past two years it has proceeded to, tirelessly and comprehensively,  address the multifarious problems of the college. Some of the measures taken by Council are as follows:

1. It swiftly unbanned the staff unions which had been banned for over 5 years by the previous state administration and promised a regime of openness, fairness and discipline. 

2. It held the first combined Convocation ceremony of the College in 2019

3. It set up a Committee headed by Mrs. Amope Chokor, the former Ogun State Head of Service, to undertake a comprehensive staff audit reviewing  all staff files with a view to restoring discipline and accountability,

4. It established disciplinary panels to look into all pending matters of discipline and all staff with issues in their files were summoned and given the opportunity to defend themselves by due process, 

5. Council firmly meted out discipline as necessary and discharged those against whom cases had not been made,

6. Council undertook a comprehensive review of the curriculum of the college which consisted only the NCE -National Certificate of Education- which had been the main offering of the college for over 40 years.

7. Having established that the NCE had become increasingly unpopular with the public which now prefers degree programmes, Council resolved to pursue a two- prong attack as the solution to the problem :

a)To pursue the policy of turning the College into a degree awarding institution by affiliation with well known universities such as – Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye , Tai Solarin University of Education Ijagun and University of Education  Wineba, Ghana . Today, our degree students out-number the NCE students by 2:1. The college will soon become degree awarding. 

b) The Council,to boost student enrollment, also recommended to the state government that the College should have the dual capacity of being a College of Education and a polytechnic by offering courses in engineering, sciences and technology ,

c) To tackle the confusion in the names between the College and Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED,because of the common name of Tai Solarin, Council recommended a change of the name of the college to Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Science & Technology. 

Government accepted all the recommendations and the House of Assembly has now replaced the old governing legislation with the new Sikiru Adetona College of Education,Science & Technology Law to which His Excellency, Governor Adedapo Abiodun, MFR has now given his accent thus heralding a new college with a new mission, direction and a robust offering. 

8. Foreign Support 

 With a view to broadening the resources available to her,  the Council has reached out and obtained cooperation with foreign organizations. It has secured. a development grant worth $4 million from the Danish government to run an aquaculture training project in partnership with Solidaridad; an international NGO and four other partners including IDIPR–Ijebu District Initiative for Poverty Reduction. In addition to an online training, the college will host a huge demonstration farm for aquaculturists in different parts of the country and beyond. 

9. Post Graduate Diploma in Education-Council after a spirited effort managed to secure state recognition for the college to run the Post Graduate Diploma in Education which has been a vexed issue for nearly eight years thus improving the capacity of the college to provide a significant post graduate in education programme and to earn more revenue. 

10. Collaboration between the College and Songhai Regional Centre: The Council is currently fine-tuning the arrangement for the college to host a Joint Venture between Songhai Regional Centre of Porto-Novo in the area of sustainable agriculture. It is hoped that this collaboration when commenced will open the door to technological revolution in Agriculture. 

11. Internally Generated Revenue- Council, from the beginning resolved to endeavor to work hard to improve its internally generated revenue by establishing enterprises which will tap on resources within its campus and by providing service to the immediate vicinity. It has set up a TASCE Block Making Industry which now produces the best building blocks in the whole of Ijebu axis. It also started a cassava farm project on an extensive area of its land. It has also set up the TASCE investments which is supplying a lot of the consumer needs of its staff. Shortly, the TASCE Water will be commissioned which will supply bottled and sachet water to the college and the surrounding communities.

12. Road Development:External & Internal: To improve the lot of our teachers, students and the host communities, Council mounted a series of pressures on government for the reconstruction of the Ala-Omu Road and the internal roads of the College. These efforts have yielded fruits. The construction of both roads are now due to start early in the new year thus spelling a new era of progress for this institution and the entire neighborhood.

◦ 13. Outstanding Salaries: Council has continued to engage,vigorously, with government on the payment of salaries which the previous administrations, most unfortunately, accumulated. The state government has continued to plead for time in the light of its multifarious commitments and dwindling resources. At no time has the government denounced the debt owed to the workers. Council has continued to brief the TASCE community on this matter and to appeal for restraint and understanding. While the discomfort to staff on the vexed issue of outstanding salaries is understandable, the gradual progress that has been made on so many facets of the college activities, assures that the issue of outstanding salaries  will gradually be overcome.

14. Restoration of peace- It is on record that unlike the rancor which characterized the affair of the college for over a decade, it has enjoyed an unusual peace, order and good government under the management of the Council. 

ENEMIES OF PROGRESS  

In the light of the tremendous progress that has been made in the college which has been widely acclaimed and thought impossible, it must be obvious to all discerning people that the College has been enjoying a renaissance leading to what promises to be a glorious era. Constructive people know that great institutions are not built overnight and neither can neglect spanning many years be corrected overnight. Unfortunately, the peace and calm over the affairs of the college, is not pleasing to some elements who benefited from the inglorious past of the institution and the confusion and gross indiscipline which characterized it. 

Council has no regret for flushing undesirable elements out. We will not be dissuaded by what Shakespeare calls, “sounds and fury signifying nothing” or “motive hunting of a motiveless malignity”. It must be clear to all that the anonymous authors of the audio are those who thought they were above the law but have now been held to account for their criminal past or who find the peace now characterizing its affairs as abominable. These   are the cowards who are fighting back under all kinds of aliases and guises.

In conclusion, Council re-affirms its determination to continue to work with the state government for a new college which will be a centre of excellence and scholarship, good governance and accountability. We assure all that there will be no return to the days of indiscipline and lawlessness. All errant actions and misbehavior will be promptly and decisively dealt with and criminal acts promptly reported to the law enforcement agencies. On the outstanding salaries, Council wishes to assure all staff that it will stop at nothing until all dues to staff are paid to them. We assure the Ogun State Government,all the alumni, the host communities and all stakeholders that it will deliver to them,a college they will always be proud of.

Signed

Fisayo Olajide (Mrs.)

Public Relations Officer