A non governmental organization, the Alaafia Dotun Foundation has expressed surprise on the decision of the Osun state government to revoke approval for the foundation’s summer classes.

The free summer classes is an annual event of the foundation led by Omooba Dotun Babayemi to add its quota to the educational pursuit of students in the 110 wards of Osun West Senatorial District.

Wondering why the government would disapprove an initiative that supports its bid for the facelift of the education sector in Osun, the Foundation bemoaned the government for hampering the academic pursuit of young children.

The Alaafia Dotun Foundation said Omooba Babayemi as a politician since his days in the APC has been organizing such programmes free of charge for students of public and private schools in the Senatorial District where thousands have benefited noting that Babayemi’s switch of political parties culminated in the latest action of the state government.


It said “The Gbongan prince started as a member of the All Progressives Congress and contributed all he had to ensure that students in Osun West Senatorial District do not lag behind educationally, among other philanthropic steps. The foundation
organises annual free summer classes for students of both public and private  schools in the ten local governments that make up the Senatorial District after
seeking and obtaining approval from the Ministry of education for the last four years.

“In July and August 2018, Omooba Babayemi again organised the free
coaching classes where thousands of students benefitted. The story changed when Omooba Dotun Babayemi refused to go with political
ideologies of the All Progressives Congress. The party refused to heed the call of reasoning and had concluded plans to marginalise Osun West Senatorial District from producing the candidate in the last governorship election.


“As a result of this, in September 2018, the Gbongan prince left the All Progressives Congress for the Action Democratic Party, ADP. Having moved to the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, P.D.P in
the early part of 2019, he sought the approval of the Osun state Ministry of
Education to use some public schools for the 2019 edition of the free summer classes and an approval was given via a letter dated 24th July 2019 and signed by  one O.O Adeyeye on behalf of the permanent secretary, Festus  Olajide.” Read memo below;


Alaafia Dotun Foundation explained further “Based on this approval, Babayemi, through his foundation and with the support of the PDP leadership in Osun put together all logistics and had commenced classes in all the 28 centers with an average of 300 students registered in each of the schools obtained permission for, only for another letter dated 6th August 2019 to come from the office of the permanent secretary, Osun State Ministry of Education terminating the prior approval based on what the government called “logistic
issues".

It argued that “The questions that readily come to the mind of any right thinking member of the
society are, did the ALAAFIA DOTUN foundation request other resources like teachers, instructional materials and writing materials from the state government? Is the foundation planning to use all schools in Osun West Senatorial District?
Again, why is it that all the selected schools for this year’s edition were affected by what the government of the day termed “logistics”?

“The state government should remember that education is important to the development of any society and as such, stop playing blind politics with the future
of innocent children in Osun West Senatorial District.”

The foundation urged well meaning individuals most importantly stakeholders in Osun West Senatorial District to caution the government and grant the programme the needed approval for children of the masses and downtrodden in the society to get access to free and qualitative education in their six weeks of long vacation.