Gov. Seyi Makinde
By Our Reporter
The Federal Government on Monday berated the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, on his decision to reopen schools in Oyo State amidst COVID-19 pandemic, describing such as insensitive to the health of the people.
Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Uwajiuba, said this at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 daily news conference in Abuja.
It will be recalled that Gov. Makinde had earlier ordered the reopening of schools across the state.
Uwajiuba said, ‘it is expedient to recognise the fact that Oyo State is a government operating under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a Federating unit’.
‘The governor has the right to reopen school as he deem fit, but the primary purpose of governance remain the security of its people’.
Uwajiuba said the Federal Government had over 138,000 schools across the country and for the governor to open the schools was in the very least insensitive.
He, however, urged parents to, as a matter of urgency, keep their children and wards under lock and key, to forestall contacting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister appealed to parents and guardians, whose children and wards would be writing the West African Examinations Council to bear with the government, pending when the necessary arrangements would be made.
He noted that if there was anything the government could do to help in the present circumstances; it would not fail to act.
Uwajiuba stated that the ministry had fixed a meeting with WAEC on how it would arrange the examination time for the exit year children, for revisions in their subjects, to be able to prepare well for their exams
