JAMB Registrar Decries Incessant Strike, As Winners Of Osun Essay Competition Receive Cash Prizes

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has disclosed that incessant strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is destroying university education in Nigeria.

He added that the union must realise that the country is no longer in a military regime, hence, there must be a paradigm shift as you cannot do the same thing the same way all the time.

Speaking at the grand finale of the 2022 Independence Day Essay competition organised by the Osun State Government in Osogbo, Oloyede who was represented by JAMB’s Director of Legal Services, Abdul Wahab Oyedokun said stakeholders must find a way for a workable education within the available legal framework.

He said that over 40 percent of the tertiary education applicants have neglected the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) has their first choice in the last 20 years due to incessant strikes by ASUU.

He said, “Osun State is a state of pride. We have history, Ife is the origin of Yoruba. We have culture Osogbo is the centre of culture. We have education great Ife (OAU) is here, Osun State University is coming. Unfortunately, with respect to ASUU, we are destroying Ife ‘OAU’ with this incessant strike.

“I know as a matter of fact that about 20 years ago, more than 40% of students make OAU their first choice University, but today OAU is not 1 to 10 in terms of a number of applications.

“We commend Osun State government for this initiative for this wonderful initiative this is taken place in a society where others are prioritising things that are of no benefits, that will bring no future to the children.

“We are at the Joint Admission And Matriculation Board, we are working towards building a better successor generation for Nigeria and the only way to do that is to guarantee the integrity of our examination process”.

Speaking, the Commissioner For Regional Integration and Special Duties, Engr. Olalekan Badmus said that the state government under the watch of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola moved to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day Anniversary from the mere march past by students to a healthy competition in the year 2020.

Badmus stated that the government
introduced annual essay writing competition among students of Senior Secondary School and Tertiary Institutions for the creativity among the students.

He said, “The step has yielded positive results with the Youth of Osun State Origin in Colleges and Tertiary Institutions confidently throwing their hats into the ring to participate in the competition.

“To us, all Participants are WINNERS. They are bold, confident, resourceful and diligent. Indeed, our dear state is blessed and richly endowed with focused youths.

“While I want to congratulate the winners as well as their parents and host institutions of learning, I urge us to continue to feed our children with the requisite training and knowledge acquisition that will enable them to prepare and stand them out in all their future endeavors.

“I particularly appreciate my principal, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, for providing this platform and opportunity for people to showcase their academic excellence. ”

In his address, the Governor of the state who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji expressed happiness for the laudable performance of the students.

The Governor said: “By this competition, we have also prepared yet another coterie of students that are capable of representing our State nationally.

“I am confident that by the quality of performance of today’s competitors, we have another set of students who are capable of winning laurels at global competitions.

“I congratulate the winners of today’s competition for demonstrating zeal, diligence and commitment that fetched them success at this event while wishing the first runner-up a better luck next time.

“In our almost four years of coming into government, our students in public schools have flown the flag of our education intervention by coming top in national competitions and emerging some of the best in the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Examinations” the governor said.

CityMirrorNews reports that this year is the third edition of annual Independence Day Essay Competition organised by Osun state government with six winners emerging in both secondary and tertiary categories.

A 200-level Medical student of OAU emerged winner of the tertiary category, the runner-up from University of Ibadan, Aremu Abass Bolarinwa and third position from the University of Ilorin, Adeyemo Festtus Olaoluwa.

93 participated in the Secondary school category while 83 participated in the tertiary institutions category themed, “Reawakening the Passion for Agriculture to Ensure Food Security in Nigeria, Which Way Out?” and for the Tertiary Institution category, “With Abundant Resources Nigeria can Leverage on to Develop, The Nation’s Economy can be Turned Around to Make the Country a Prosperous Nation, Do You Agree?”.