The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has taken aim at Governor Ademola Adeleke following the deployment of 1,750 members of the Imole Youth Corps to public schools across the state.
Governor Adeleke had earlier announced the deployment through a statement issued on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed. According to the statement, the youth corps members are being assigned to both primary and secondary schools, with a call for increased deployment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to bolster teaching capacity.
“These measures are temporary interventions to address staffing shortfalls in some schools and to pave the way for expanding the number of teachers in key subject areas,” the governor noted.
He added that the Imole Corps members posted to schools possess Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) or university degrees and have already resumed duties in various locations.
A detailed breakdown of the distribution across local government areas was provided, including 87 corps members in Iwo, 106 in Oriade, 80 in Osogbo, and 61 each in Ife Central and Ilesa East, among others.
Governor Adeleke reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to revamping the state’s education system through multiple initiatives. He said Osun’s performance in national examinations would improve significantly, aiming for a top-three position from the current seventh. He also pledged that more permanent teaching staff would be recruited when fiscal conditions improve.
“We will hire additional teachers as soon as the financial situation allows. In the meantime, narrowing the personnel gap remains a priority, which informed the creation of the Imole Teachers Corps,” the statement read.
The governor also pledged ongoing training for teachers and expressed appreciation to principals, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, and the Parents-Teachers Association. He acknowledged private school operators for their role in supporting the educational ecosystem.
The APC, however, has sharply criticised the initiative. Through its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party described the deployment as a “bastardisation” of the future of Osun’s schoolchildren.
The opposition party argued that deploying ad hoc teachers under the Imole Youth Corps banner reflects confusion and lack of direction in the state’s governance. It questioned the government’s priorities, citing billions spent on what it termed unnecessary flyovers, luxury vehicles for cabinet members, and extravagant feeding budgets at the Government House.
“It is completely illogical for a government that has allocated billions for vanity projects to now announce the mass posting of untrained teachers into public schools,” the APC stated.
The party further alleged that Adeleke’s administration has failed teacher applicants who had undergone interviews and paid for application forms, only to be sidelined by the recent deployment.
It condemned the dismissal of 1,500 teachers employed by the previous administration shortly after Adeleke took office, accusing the governor of political vendetta and neglecting to replace those educators for nearly three years.
According to the APC, the new measure is an “educational disaster” and a betrayal of the trust of voters who supported Adeleke in the 2022 election. It demanded the governor’s resignation and a public apology to parents across the state.
“Governance is not a tea party,” the statement concluded, accusing the governor of prioritising public displays of entertainment over serious policy direction.