Who Will Bring This To Gov Aiyedatiwa’s Attention?

By Bola BOLAWOLE

(Published in the TREASURES column on the back page of the New Telegraph newspaper edition on Wednesday, 10 June, 2026).

EARLY THIS year, Dr. Foluso Falaye, the National President of my alma mater – Owo High School Old Students’ Association (OHSOSA) – sought my intervention on a matter that he had been passionate about, but which affects both of us all the same. It was the encroachment on our alma mater’s expansive school land by individuals donning the toga of sacred cows and behaving like untouchables.

Since his election as the National President, Dr. Falaye has directed the affairs of the Association with uncommon zeal, passion, and purpose. He has spent his precious time as well as invested commensurate financial resources to give our alma mater a face-lift. The school was founded and nurtured for nearly two decades by the iconic erstwhile civilian governor of old Ondo State, Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin.

Pa Ajasin was a towering figure in the politics of the First Republic, being one of the able lieutenants of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was credited as one of the brains behind the Free Education policy that Awolowo and his political parties – first, the Action Group and, later, the Unity Party of Nigeria – were noted for.

In the titanic struggle to force the military to quit the political stage and return to the barracks, Pa Ajasin played a leading role as the leader of NADECO (National Democratic Coalition) that fought military dictators Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha to a standstill, insisting on the revalidation of the June 12, 1993, free and fair presidential election won by MKO Abiola but which the military, intent on holding on to power, annulled for no just cause. Eventually, the battle was won and the military retreated.

I have gone down memory lane for my readers to understand the illustrious pedigree that every alumnus of my alma mater is proud of. Dr. Falaye, since he assumed office, has lifted our banner high – and we are all proud of him. He has pioneered a lot of physical development projects that have given our school a face-lift. He has also started a project to enhance the performance of our students in JAMB examinations. The project, which is just a few years old, has started yielding commendable results as our students’ performance in JAMB examinations has witnessed a dramatic improvement. Very soon, the best performers in JAMB examinations will come for Owo High School, Owo!

Despite his string of achievements, Dr. Falaye is not happy about a particular issue – the encroachment on our school’s land. That, in itself, is a cause for worry. But more worrisome is the fact that every effort made to get the Ondo State Government interested in the matter has yielded no positive result, to put it mildly. If I am to hit the nail right on the head, all efforts in that direction have been frustrated by vested interests. Insider abuse cannot also be completely ruled out.

After meeting all levels of top Ondo State Government officials, after supplying them with all the documents they demanded, including Government Gazette on the take-over of the school, court judgments from the high court, through the appeal court to the Supreme Court with no action taken, Dr. Faleye felt it was time to cry out in the media.

This became a matter of urgency because the encroachers had started endangering the life of students and staff alike, bringing fetish substances onto school land, even reportedly bringing and burying corpses there in broad daylight while school was in session with students having to run helter-skelter! They had also begun to destroy school property, pulling down the school fence that the Association was erecting at a huge cost.

So, we booked an appointment with The PUNCH and the story you are about to read is the outcome of that effort, published in The PUNCH newspaper on Thursday. 4 June, 2026 (at page 5) as well as online (https://share.goggle/HB5ZNMq6Plr2SfJw9).

Titled “Alumni seek help over encroachment on Ondo school’s land”, it reads:

“The Old Students Association of Owo High School has called on the Ondo State Government to intervene in what it described as the continued encroachment on the school’s land by suspected land grabbers.

During a visit to The PUNCH Place in Magboro, Ogun State, on May 20, leaders of the Association alleged that there was a deliberate attempt by individuals to take over parts of the school’s land, thereby frustrating efforts by the alumni to improve infrastructure and learning facilities.

Led by its national president, Foluso Falaye, the Association claimed that several complaints and petitions to the state government had yielded little result, as the alleged encroachers continued their activities without restraint.

In a letter dated December 18, 2025, and addressed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa through the Commissioner, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Igbekele Ajibefun, the Association traced the history of the school and its land ownership.

According to the letter jointly signed by Falaye and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Folagbade Alamudun, Owo High School was founded in January 1963 by the late Michael Adekunle Ajasin, former governor of old Ondo State.

The Association noted that the school was established on a 25-hectare parcel of land and later became government-owned following the takeover of private secondary schools in 1974.

It added that OHSOSA, which has over 8,000 members across Nigeria and abroad, decided to support the school after observing the decline in infrastructure and educational standards in public schools.

“The Association believes that the task of restoring the glory of our educational system should not be left in the hands of (the) government alone,” the letter stated.

As part of its intervention plan, the alumni body said it carried out surveys and developed a master plan aimed at transforming the school.

The plan, according to the Association, includes renovating classrooms, constructing new buildings, providing modern toilets, improving laboratory and library facilities, introducing digital learning tools and providing additional teaching staff. However, the group said those plans have been threatened by the increasing encroachment on the school’s land.

“In order to commence execution of this vision, the Association observed that the school’s land meant for this development had been breached through various encroachments by illegal land grabbers,” the letter said.

The Association claimed that residential buildings, shops and places of worship had sprung up on portions of the school’s land despite previous government interventions.

According to the group, investigations by the ministries of Education and Lands, alongside the Office of the Surveyor-General, confirmed that the structures were illegal. The ministries, the group said, ordered construction activities to stop and marked some buildings for demolition after the occupants (had) failed to produce valid title documents.

The Association said it subsequently received government approval to construct a perimeter fence around the school in 2021 to secure the land. But it was alleged that the project was repeatedly disrupted.

“Following the commencement of the fence installation, the work was disrupted several times by illegal land grabbers who threatened to kill our workers. They also demolished parts of the fence already constructed,” the Association stated.

It further alleged that the encroachers used police officers and hoodlums to harass the school’s management and contractors. The alumni body also argued that the ownership dispute had already been settled by the courts.

“The claimants pursued a civil case through the courts, asserting ownership of the land. The matter went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled against their claims and reaffirmed the school’s ownership of the land,” the letter stated.

The Association described the continued occupation of the land despite the court judgment as a direct challenge to the rule of law.

“This continued defiance, in the face of a settled Supreme Court ruling, is not merely an act of trespass but a direct affront to the rule of law and the authority of the state,” it added.

The group urged Governor Aiyedatiwa to order the removal of all illegal structures on the land and ensure the protection of the school’s property.

“We count on your good offices to support the laudable initiatives started by the old students’ body and clear the entire area of all illegal structures, allowing our planned interventions to continue,” the Association appealed. It added that preserving Owo High School was important to sustaining the legacy of the late Ajasin and ensuring future generations benefit from quality education.

When contacted on Tuesday, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Ajibefun, did not respond to calls placed to his telephone line. He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of the time this report was filed.”

NOW, my comments: Let it be known that we, the alumni of Owo High School, will not keep quiet on this matter, even though we have been told that this scourge is not limited to Owo High School alone but is widespread! Fortunately, many highly-placed Cabinet members of Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration, and of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at national and state levels, including the Honourable Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, hard-working Dr. Kayode Ajulo, read my columns. I trust they will not only bring this to the governor’s attention, but that they will also ensure that prompt and appropriate action is taken.

NB: Commendation to the Ondo State Government and the Judiciary for getting justice for the victims of the terrorist attack at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Ogwaluwa, Owo (Ogho) on 5th June, 2022, a few days to the fourth anniversary of the heinous crime. Readers of my columns would remember I said immediately after the dastardly act that there would be consequences and even when the victims were being laid to rest, I also said it was not the last that would be heard on the matter. Vindicated?

We lost him!

Adebowale (Wale) Abayomi Ogunkoya aka “Oje Master”, my classmate and friend with whom I traversed the length and breadth of the south-west in search of old classmates, is gone to be with the Lord! The sad event took place on Wednesday, 3 June, 2026 at the point when we were all happy he had started showing commendable signs of recovery from the ailment which he suffered in February. We will sorely miss him. Burial arrangements will be announced later.