“Offensive” Examination Questions: Isiaka blasts Amosun over sack of civil servants
The sudden sack of six civil servants by Ogun State Government over what it called “offensive examination question”, for the secondary school students has been condemned as an “act of wickedness, strange to a democratic setting”.
The sack was also described as a continuation of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led-administration’s anti-workers policies that had seen many civil servants and teachers frustrated and sent out of service.
Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, who expressed shock that Amosun was gradually turning out to be a fascist, also condemned that spate of demolition of property across the state for cosmetic projects, turning many into homeless and depriving them of their livelihood.
He, however, urged the people of the state to be vigilant and watchful of subsequent draconian policies that could further destroy the sterling legacies of the state and impoverished the common man on the street.
Isiaka, who spoke through his spokesperson, Comrade Ifekayode Akinbode, however, advised the government to review its decision and recall the sacked officers.
Akinbode noted that in a civilised clime where sane people are at the helm of affairs, the contents in the said ‘offensive’ article would be dissected to assist government in policy formulation but “what we noticed in Ogun State was that instead of looking at the message they went after the messengers. This is unfortunate”.
The affected workers were officials of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology which included two directors on Grade Level 17, Mrs. Folashade Oresegun (Director, Education Support Services) and Deacon Rotimi Ganiyu Odunsi (Director, Curriculum Development and Evaluation).
Others are Mr. Oluwole Majekodunmi (Deputy Director, Curriculum Development and Evaluation on Grade Level 16), Mr. E.O Asegbe (Desk Officer) Grade Level 10; Damilola Taylor (Proof Reader) on Grade Level 8 and a secondary school teacher, Mr. Joel Adegbenro, who set the English Language question.
The two directors were asked to proceed on compulsory retirement while others were dismissed from service after they had appeared before a panel set up at the Bureau of Establishment and Training.
Akinbode noted that the article contained no new information that was not known to the general public, considering the rate at which people withdraw their wards from public schools because of poor funding, dilapidated infrastructure, obnoxious policies and lack of welfare scheme for teachers.
He said: “We have read the article which only stated the obvious about the rots in the education sector in Ogun State but these are facts known to all parents. Will this government deny the fact that secondary school students in Ogun State sat for the first term examination in the middle of second term and could not write second term exams before Easter vacation because of government huge indebtness to its printers that refused to release question papers? Will this government deny the fact that it has stopped giving running cost to all secondary schools or dispute the obvious of decline in the standard of education in the schools which has forced those with wherewithal to take their wards to private schools?
“We hereby challenge the government to a public debate on some of the points raised in the question paper.
“It is obvious that Amosun hates to hear the truth but very comfortable to surround himself with sycophants and praise singers who will never speak truth to power because of their pecuniary interest”.