Fayose: Children of public office holders should attend schools in Nigeria

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that all his children

are products of Nigerian Universities, urging public office holders to

endeavour to send their children to schools in the country.

Governor Fayose, who was at Covenant University, Ota in Ogun State to

witness the graduation ceremony of one of his sons, Ayorogbayimika

Fayose, told journalists that there was no reason children of public

office holders should study in universities outside Nigeria, except in

cases where courses interested in were not offered in Nigerian

universities.
According to the governor’s Special Assistant on Public Communications

and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said; “We talk and do.

Whatever we say is what we practice. Apart from the fact that none of

children attended schools abroad, I have never travelled out of the

country for Medicare.
He said; Even though views of people like us might not be popular

among the powers that be because we say the truth and act the truth,

we won’t stop telling them what they do not like to hear and one of

such is that the only way to improve the standard of education in the

country is for children of holders of public office to experience what

children of ordinary Nigerians are experiencing in schools in the

country.
“During my first tenure as governor, I took my son from a private

school and enrolled him in SUBEB Model Primary School in Ado Ekiti.

“Today again, I am here to witness the graduation of my son and I

make bold to say here that none of my children attended tertiary

institution outside Nigeria.
“That should be the spirit not a situation where someone is the

minister of education in Nigeria and his children are schooling

abroad. And by enforcing this too, we will be saving Nigeria a lot of

foreign exchange being wasted on medical and academic tourism,” the

governor said.
While condemning what he described as the hypocrisy of some Nigerian

leaders, especially those in the All Progressives Congress (APC),

Governor Fayose said; “Even children of President Muhammadu Buhari

that they told us lived a modest life attended universities abroad.

Shouldn’t President Buhari have lived by example by enrolling his

children in universities in Nigeria?”
While reiterating his commitment to the uplift of education in Ekiti

State, Governor Fayose said; “We are after quality education and we

want to maintain our position as leaders in the education sector. We

are first in NECO examinations and we are among the best in WAEC and

the only industry in Ekiti State is education and we can’t afford to

let it depreciate.”
The governor also called on parents, corporate bodies and others to

support the government in the task of improving the standard of

education in the state.