Oyebanji warns head teachers against usage of Ekiti schools for events

Biodun Oyebanji, Ekiti State governor, has restated the State Government’s ban on the use of public schools premises for social functions, saying any heads of schools that flouts the directive would be heavily sanctioned.

The ban, according to the governor, is to preserve and protect facilities in the public schools and make them conducive for learning.

Governor Oyebanji bemoaned how facilities in schools were being destroyed by people who hired them for social engagements, like burial parties, wedding receptions saying such trend could destroy the functionality of public schools if allowed to continue unabated.

The governor stated this at his Ikogosi Ekiti home town, at the weekend, during the 2024 Ikogosi Day celebrations and launch of N1 billion Development Fund, which was attended by high profile dignitaries across the nation.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Oyebanji said his Government owes the people the onerous duty of preserving their investments in education and infrastructures, adding the step was taken to ensure that education is not destroyed on the altar of dispensing patronages to people.

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He stressed that the Ikogosi Day celebrations was held at a private field and not in a school premises in compliance with the ban on the use of public schools premises

He said: “We were to hold this function within the premises of Baptist Primary School, Ikogosi, which is a public primary school, but I said no, that this place, which is a private place should be used.

“This is a signal to those who will be calling me and sending text messages that they want to use government schools for social functions that there is a ban on it and I am restating this here today.

“We have a duty to make our schools safe and well protected. I want to charge all the chairmen of the local governments and heads of schools to enforce this. You must make sure that the use of public schools for burial, wedding and other social functions is stopped”.

In an apparent reference to the suspension of an erring official over the matter, the governor said Government was prepared to sanction more violators of the ban order.