Stakeholders proffer lasting solution to undesirable acts by Oyo students

The sad tale of violence that erupted in some secondary schools in Oyo town was considered a serious issue which called for urgent concern of leaders and stakeholders in the ancient town.
Against this background, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, recently convened a town hall meeting involving the four local governments (Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-East and Oyo-West) caretaker chairmen,
leadership of Oyo Metropolitan Development Association led by its chairman, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, community and opinion leaders, security agencies, schools’ principals, parents, teachers, as well as religious leaders.
The meeting afforded participants the opportunity to put heads together in a bid to nipping these dastardly acts in its eternal bud.
It also discussed extensively on ways to arrest the ugly trend,
curtail the indigenous dimension and proffer lasting solutions to the disturbing incidence from future re-occurrence.
Communiqué issued at the end of the meeting identified four broad areas, which include parents’, government, community and teachers’ roles.
While it accepted and lauded the state government’s policy on
education, the meeting noted that release of promotional examination results should have been done before third term vacation.
It charged law enforcement agencies to be proactive in their
intelligence gatherings and surveillance of schools within the
metropolis, with a view to forestall any undesirable acts being
perpetrated by students and their masterminds.
The meeting also called for identifications and massive clamp down on
all marijuana and Indian hemp joints in the metropolis, as it stressed
the need for youths to be positively engaged by enrolling in
vocational trainings.
‘Parents should be alive to their responsibilities in child upbringing
and home training. Since untrained children constitute affronts to the
society, sound moral and religious teachings must be inculcated in
them, so that they can become responsible citizens. Parents should
also endeavour to visit their wards in schools, in order to assess
their performances”.
The meeting further advocated for aggressive teachings and preaching
by religious and community leaders on moral values, to avoid bad
habits such as unwanted pregnancy, alcoholism and intake of narcotics.
Other suggestions included, registration and close monitoring of
non-natives in the metropolis by their native heads, introduction of
morning and afternoon assemblies in schools to check truancy, and
enhancement of guidance and counseling to assist students in solving
personal, social and educational challenges.
The communiqué was signed by the four councils’ caretaker chairmen – Afijio, Lukman Anwo; Atiba, Okeniyi Gbolagade; Oyo-East, Azeez Tirimisiyu; and Oyo-West, Bisi Oladeji; Chief Imam of Oyo, Sheikh Ganiyu Adebayo, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Oyo branch, Pastor Oluwatobi and Aare Iseese,
Oyo (for traditional religion), Chief Jayeola Morakinyo.
Earlier, the Alaafin of Oyo had commissioned the ancient Atiba Hall, which was re-constructed by the four local governments, following shoddy construction by contractors who handled the project which was awarded by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala’s administration.