There were discordant tunes in two communities in Ekiti State – Ilawe Ekiti and Omuo Ekiti – at the weekend over the location of a Federal College of Education in the state.
While the people of Ilawe Ekiti hailed the Federal Government for establishing the institution in their community, the Omuo Ekiti community described the choice of location outside their town as an injustice which the present administration should redress.
The Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, had on Friday lauded the Federal Government for the establishment of a College of Education in Ilawe Ekiti, saying, “The institution marks another federal presence in Ekiti State and a positive development in Ilawe.”
The traditional ruler, in a statement by his media adviser, Ajibade Olubunmi, added that, “The institution is a result of several requests made to the Federal Government on the establishment of a higher institution in Ilawe Ekiti by the Alawe since 2016 and supported by patriotic indigenes.”
The Alawe also congratulated Dr Ajigbade Ikuejube, who had been named the pioneer Provost of the college and “assured him of the community’s maximum support in the onerous task”.
But a community leader at Omuo Ekiti, Chief Segun Akanle, who said on Saturday that the FCE was originally slated for Omuo Ekiti, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Ekiti State Governor, Mr Abiodun Oyebanji, to come to the rescue of Omuo Ekiti by returning the Federal College of Education to the town.
Akanle, who said Omuo Ekiti community had been working for the establishment of the FCE for over 10 years, said, “We have 12 communities in Ekiti East and there is no federal or state presence in any of them. A bill establishing the FCE here has been passed and waiting for the Pesident’s assent before some people went through the backdoor to alter the location of the school.”
The Olomuo of Omuo Ekiti, Oba Noah Omonigbehin, said he was a participant at the public hearings by the Senate leading to the establishment of the school in both 8th and 9th sessions.
“We presented memo to the august legislative assembly. We wonder how someone who has not asked for a thing would be given. I urge President Tinubu to correct this injustice and return the institution to Omuo Ekiti,” the traditional ruler said.
