Oyo state govt. orders closure of primary, secondary schools

The Oyo state government has ordered the immediate closure of primary and secondary schools in the state.

This is coming as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced that it will embark on a strike action On Tuesday, June 7, 2016.


The state government said it is shutting down the schools to save lives and properties and also to forestall violence.

The government also accused the labour leaders of encouraging students to disrupt school activities and destroy properties.

It also stated again, that there are no plans to privatise primary schools in the state, adding that the NLC strike is illegal, because there are no existing labour dispute.

The labour union’s strike action, is in protest of the Oyo government’s alleged plan to privatise primary schools in the state.

The Oyo state government also issued a statement saying: "Members of the Public will recall that members of the two bodies (NLC and NUT) and their hired collaborators last week disrupted the stakeholders’ forum organized by the government on the proposed participatory management of some public secondary schools.

"Rather, the intention of the government is to partner willing stakeholders in the participatory management of a negligible number of the public secondary schools, which may not be more than 10 per cent of the existing 631 schools in the end.

"Discussions are still ongoing with stakeholders on the matter and this informed the invitation extended to those concerned, including labour, NUT and other members of the public to come and contribute to the discourse before a final decision is taken by the government.

"The reality of today is that the government alone cannot solve the myriads of challenges confronting education and other critical sectors in the state.

"The unpatriotic role being played by the disgruntled labour leaders and their external collaborators will not proffer solution to the dilapidated state of infrastructure, poor performance of students in public examinations, low morale of teachers and unconducive teaching-learning environment.

"Government will like to remind them that the era of brigandage and wanton destruction of public property has become history in the state and we will resist any attempt by any person or group, no matter their status, to draw us back into the dark era.

"Meanwhile, the forceful co-option of innocent school children to partake in today’s baseless streets protest anchored on outright falsehood and rumour is rather unwarranted, shameless and evil.

"We want to use this medium to again advise parents to warn their children and wards not to allow themselves to be used for any unlawful gathering or protest, because law enforcement agents have been placed on red alert to disperse any unlawful assembly.

"Workers who have been directed to embark on strike over a matter that is still in the conception stage should have a rethink and report at their duty posts, while the government intensifies efforts to clear arrears of salary."

The Oyo state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has come under fire for allegedly harassing and intimidating leaders of  the Oyo state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).