The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in Ogun State, Rotimi Babajide, has pledged to declare a state of emergency in the education sector to address retrogression in the state if elected in 2027.
Babajide, a town planning expert, pledged while addressing newsmen at a press conference in Abeokuta on Saturday.
He stated that the measure was necessary to urgently reverse what he described as a severe decline in Ogun’s educational standards.
“If elected by the grace of God come May 29, 2027, I am going to declare a state of emergency in education because the education that our forefathers brought to us, the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Tai Solarin, Professor Wole Soyinka, and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, has suffered a serious decline and retrogression,” Babajide said.
Describing the current situation as unfortunate, the APM candidate stressed that the state could no longer afford to let its historic educational legacy slip away.
“This is a shame on us as indigenes of Ogun State. Ogun indigenes are known as scholars; missionaries established schools here, and our children were doing remarkably well in education,” he said.
Babajide promised that his administration would deploy digital tools and modern facilities to enhance learning, ensuring students in the state could compete globally.
“We are going to introduce digital tools to train and teach our children so they can measure up with their peers globally,” he added.
Babajide also endorsed the party’s presidential candidate and the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, expressing confidence in his leadership capacity.
“I believe sincerely that Governor Seyi Makinde is competent to lead at the national level,” he stated.
