The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State as the “worst performing governor in educational development in Nigeria”. In a statement signed by its national president, Danielson Bamidele, the national students’ body said its evaluation of his leadership led to such a conclusion. Mr Bamidele flayed “commercialisation of education” under Akeredolu in apparent reference to the hike in the school fees of students enrolled in Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions. Read the full statement below. It has become imperative for the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to examine and analyse critically certain political leaders whose actions in recent times have made life unbearable for the citizens under their watch. It is no longer news that the government of Ondo State under Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, a supposed Senior Advocate of Nigeria is today championing an agenda that takes education out of the reach of the poor. Without any dubiety, before his emergence as the Executive Governor of Ondo State, education since 1999 under Governor Adebayo Adefarati through Olusegun Agagu and Olusegun Mimiko was free from primary to secondary level. However, a governor who claimed to have fought alongside others during his days at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife against the reversal of the great benefit of the Awolowo education policy is today making education, an exclusive right of the rich, thereby creating class differentials amongst the people he governed over. Secondary school Students who hitherto enjoyed payment of WAEC/NECO fees under the past admistrations now have additional burdens placed on their parents by the insensitive Akeredolu anti-education government that have scraped the payment of WAEC/NECO fees for SS3 students. This deliberate policy by past democratic administrations have now been abolished and the hopes of many families dashed. Let it be known to the entire public that undergraduates of state owned Tertiary Institutions in Ondo State are daily dropping out of school due to increase in their various school fees which their parents certainly cannot afford. How can we explain that a supposed progressive government, increased arbitrarily, fees of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko from 33,000 to 150,000? Students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo has their fees increased from 63,000 to 108, 000 while those in Ondo State University of Science and Technology has their fees inceased to 200, 000 from 70, 000. Lest we say that the Akeredolu government did not only defraud students at the School of Nursing but breached their trust by deceiving them into paying higher fees in exchange for Nursing degrees awarded by the University of Medical Sciences established by the immediate past administration of Olusegun Mimiko. We know as a matter of fact, that since the increment, the students from the school of nursing have been made to understand that their certificate will remain the same despite the agreement reached with the government to award them degree certificate from the University of Medical Sciences haven paid the new tuition fees forced on them for that purpose. Today, Governor Akeredolu is globally junketing with tax payers money in order to create awareness for legalisation of hard drugs and narcotic use. What a confused Chief executive! For once, we should be worried that it takes someone who purchases, uses and is addicted to hard drugs to know it’s economic prospects without caring about lives and its negative impact on the society. For a governor who has refused to make education a top priority to now lead an advocacy for legalisation of banned drugs that distorts thoughts and stability reveals his level of denigration of governance. Isn’t it a pity that in a state where education is more or less an industry and a pride, Governor Akeredolu has proven that he is on seat to retard the progress of the youths by encouraging the plantation of cannabis(Indian Hemp) against the pursuit of knowledge? This obviously is the height of his incompetence and insensitivity to the needs of the youths. We condemn in totality the managements of the state owned institutions who joined the governor in this inglorious journey, for example, the Vice-Chancelor of Adekunle Ajasin University who implemented a policy of no school fees, no test about two weeks ago which was vehemently resisted by the students that lead to the closure of the Institution. To this end, NANS will resist any form of intimidation, oppression or threat to the life of any of our member who are resolute in pursuing their rights and privileges.