Osun

Osun Mega Schools In Ruins Despite Payment Of Maintenance Fees

ByYusuf Oketola

PublishedJune 5, 2025

Adeleke Blames Oyetola, Shoddy Renovation, Natural Disaster

The administrations of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola and incumbent Senator Ademola Adeleke have allegedly abandoned the maintenance of most of the mega schools constructed under the tenure of their predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, while allowing the projects to rot despite the payment of maintenance fees by students.

According to findings by OSUN DEFENDER, most of the mega schools across the nine federal constituencies of Osun state are currently deteriorating due to lack of proper maintenance by successive administrations in the state.

The medium recently visited some of the schools in Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Ilesa and Ejigbo and observed that the buildings are not properly managed by the state. Most of the facilities in the buildings have been destroyed and vandalised while the roofs of some have blown off.

At Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, it was an eyesore when OSUN DEFENDER visited the school on Wednesday. It was observed that most of the roofing sheets on the structure have blown off while students learn under palpable fear amidst the rainy season. Part of the administrative building’s roofing has also blown off.

The Aregbesola-led government commissioned the Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, in November 2015.

The then newly constructed gigantic infrastructure was considered a spectacular gift that would guarantee a qualitative foundational education for the children of citizens and residents of Ejigbo.

This was in continuation of the administration’s education infrastructure revolution that was sweeping across the State of Osun during the Ijesa-born Governor Aregbesola administration.

The name given to the School with state-of-the-art facilities was not only to honour the first Nobel Laureate in Literature in Africa, Professor Wole Soyinka, but also to envision and inculcate academic excellence in the lucky children. It must have also been to literally place Ejigbo town and Osun in general on the world map.

However, laudable as the intention and the great impact the facility was already having on the image and educational welfare of the Ejigbo people, successive administrations after Aregbesola’s have left the magnificent infrastructure to rot away.

Alarmed by the current state of the facility, with the roofs of the buildings already falling off, constituting a serious danger to the lives of students and staff of the school, observers have continued to wonder why a government would abandon such a signature infrastructure.

OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that students in the mega schools are paying a sum of N8,500 per term while new students are to pay N11,500. Despite the fee, the money is not used for its purpose.

Recall that as part of its new educational policy regarding the running of the model high schools, the Aregbesola administration floated the Omoluabi Education Services Limited (OESL) to manage and supervise the eleven (11) Model High Schools in the state.

The Mission of OESL is to coordinate the running of world-class high schools to produce students that can match and be better off than their counterparts at the national and international levels. it was also imperative to engage Facility Managers who are expected to handle the maintenance of the buildings.

But the contract of the Facility Management Companies’ was prematurely terminated by the administration of Oyetola who served under Aregbesola as Chief of Staff.

It was learnt that each mega school had a Facility Management Company saddled with the responsibilities of maintaining the infrastructure and giving periodic reports to the Ministry of Education/OESL. They are to carry out daily electrical maintenance, cleaning, infrastructure maintenance, gardening and horticulture, plumbing, and the total facility management of the mega school.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has blamed natural disaster and prior substandard renovation work for the present condition of the school.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Olawale Rasheed, on Wednesday.

Admitting that the school had suffered deterioration, Rasheed stated that it was not due to abandonment by the current administration.

He said the school was renovated by a contractor engaged by the previous administration of former governor Gboyega Oyetola.

“However, the work done fell below acceptable standards. This year, a severe rainstorm hit the area, damaging many structures, including this school, damage that was worsened by the poor quality of the earlier renovation,” he said.

Rasheed said that while the school was not captured in the immediate phase of the infrastructure upgrade plan recently announced, it had been noted for urgent attention in the next phase.

He said Governor Ademola Adeleke remains fully committed to ensuring every child in Osun learns in a safe and conducive environment and has made education a top priority.

“It is also important to state that the state government is not owing the contractor who handled the last renovation. Accountability is being enforced, and such negligence will not be tolerated. Moving forward, quality control and due diligence will guide every renovation project.

Yusuf Oketola

Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.