Osun gov urged to return mission schools to original owners
Bishop of the Diocese of Ife, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Reverend Olubunmi Akinlade has asked the Osun State Government to release mission schools to their original owners.
Akinlade spoke on Tuesday during a press conference at Ile-Ife, Osun State, to herald the second session of the twelfth synod of the diocese.
They premised the church’s demand for the return of the mission schools on the need to stall further deterioration of the school structure.
The cleric lamented the decay in school infrastructure owing to years of abandonment.
He urged Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State to emulate President Bola Tinubu who, as governor of Lagos State, approved the return of mission schools to their original owners.
“Honestly, I am appealing to the Osun State Government, because it is in their hands to please release this school back to us so that we can develop the place and put in a very conducive learning environment in place, in that space. In any case, it belongs to us.
“If you took it away from us and you can’t do anything with it, can you please give it back to us? That’s all I’m going to say on that.
“It’s an eyesore. I’ve been speaking about this right from the time of the administration of Rauf Aregbesola as governor. I’ve been asking them to release this school back to us, but this has been done.
“The roof of this school has caved in yet there are still students there. I pray that Governor Adeleke will hear us this time around.
“There are other schools that we should ask for, for instance, Anglican Grammar School, Ile-Ife. Why is the government holding on to it? It’s our property. They should also give us that school and some other schools we founded.”
He recalled that the immediate past Diocesan Bishop, Oluranti Odubogun, made similar calls without any positive response from the government.
The two-day synod, with the theme, “The essential secrets in a noisy world: Lessons in Matthew 6:1-18,” will be held on 26 and 27 April at St Philip Anglican Church, Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Giving account of his stewardship, Akinlade said the diocese established a secondary school, named Divine Royal College, to enable young people to have access to education, paying subsidised, affordable school fees.
“Divine Royal College is a secondary school established by this diocese 10 years ago. It started just before I came to the Diocese of Ife. And it has been my job to try and make sure the school survives. It is a conventional secondary school. And everybody is welcome there. We are building it up on scholarship. The diocese has provided 50 scholarships for students who may want to go to college. Right now, we’re charging about N25,000 to N30,000 per term.
“We have two buses that we use to convey students. And they are supposed to pay. But because of the current fuel prices and everything, it’s going to be almost impossible for them to pay. The prices will be too much, so the diocese is subsidising the transportation heavily.
“More than 75 per cent of the transportation cost is being subsidised by the diocese. So, we are trying to grow this school gradually.”
He disclosed that the church was working hard to meet the WAEC and NECO requirements to be able to have external exams in the school.
