Condemnation trails Kwara State Government's suspension of free holiday lessons for secondary school students sponsored by the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 elections, Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN). Correspondent Adekunle Jimoh reports.

The Kwara State Government is in the eye of a storm which has been raging for some days now. The government stirred the hornet's nest when it wielded its axe on the free holiday coaching for secondary school students in the state. Behind the widely lauded programme is the state's governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 elections, Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN).

It was last week, precisely, when the state government instructed secondary school principals in the state not to allow their premises to be used for the programme.

Not a few right-thinking persons and bodies in the state have condemned in no small measure, the stoppage of Belgore's kind gesture by the state government. The state chapter of the ACN is among them.

While state ACN dismissed as "repressive, anti-people and short-sighted," the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led state government to stop the free holiday classes. But the state government on its part, castigated the promoters of the exercise for "not adhering to laid-down rules."

In his view, the state's ACN chair, Kayode Olawepo, said the action of the government had further plunged its rating to a record low among the masses who are the beneficiaries of the gesture.

"What this disgraceful, short-sighted and repressive act shows is that the government is not interested in the empowerment or development of its youths, but only interested in saving its own skin," Olawepo said.

He spoke further: "We have read the lame excuse the PDP government gave to justify what public reactions have shown to be reactionary behaviour of this government. How low is this government prepared to go in the name of politics by attacking MDB volunteers and threatening schools that provide their facilities?

"The effort by Belgore is not intended to, and cannot replace the educational facilities provided by the state. What he is doing is granting additional support through extra lessons for JAMB etc, and in the areas of IT. As a matter of fact, the government should encourage private individuals and institutions that help in doing this. Nothing should get in the way of uplifting our youths educationally.

"No right-thinking government that is concerned about the future of its youths would seek to hinder an educational opportunity for them. This should be number-one priority for any right-thinking government, unless you are the Kwara State Government which has clearly shown that the future of its youths should be compromised in the name of politics."

However, the state government has a reason for its action. It said it stopped the free holiday lessons sponsored by Belgore because the promoters failed to follow laid-down procedure.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor AbulFatah Ahmed, Dr Femi Akorede, said "permission should have been sought from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development rather than from school principals. This is because government's laudable education reforms are based on ensuring high standards of teaching for pupils and students.

"The ministry screens such initiatives to ensure compliance with set standards. Sadly, the ACN candidate failed to follow the procedure, hence government's cancellation of the scheme."

Also, a member of the state House of Assembly representing Essa/Shawo/Igbodun Constituency of Offa, Hassan Oyeleke described the purported stoppage by the state government, of free holiday classes for secondary school students, as "myopic and parochial."

The ACN legislator, who is the House Committee Chair, Public Account, told The Nation that "I don't know the state government's reason for stopping Mohammed Dele Belgore's holiday coaching for secondary school students in Kwara, but I think their reason is political. If so, my view is that the step is myopic and parochial. If anybody is making an effort to improve on the dismal performance of secondary school students at both WAEC and NECO exams, that person should be encouraged and supported. The essence is to produce well-grounded students to enable them gain admission into higher institutions.

"If the reason for stopping him is to score some political points, I want to say that the state government was ill-advised. It will bounce back because the students who are enjoying this facility will not be happy with that type of government. All hands should be on deck to improve the performances of these students and helping hands should be encouraged.

"Notwithstanding, I urge Belgore not to be discouraged as it shows his concern for the educational system of the country. The action does not show it emanated from somebody who has broad mind on issues. All right-thinking people are looking for ways of improving students' performances at these examinations.

"I abhor that kind of policy. That is not the kind of policy the state government should practise. I appeal to Belgore to look for alternative venues for the coaching to continue. Why I said the action is myopic is that the students are not being trained to become Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) members. Many of them will not even vote for the party, but in rendering services to the community, politics should be out of it. This, I think, Belgore has been doing. I discovered that the gesture does not consider students' party affiliation; it is non-discriminatory.

"I am sure by my training as a teacher, that this type of educational tutorial will have spiral effects on the overall performance of the students. So, anything that will worsen students' situations, any right-thinking person will oppose it. I am not happy about it. Therefore, I call on the government to rescind that decision. What it implies is that if by tomorrow, I as an ACN member want to do that in Offa Local Government area, the same action will be meted out to me.

"I want to ask too that if Belgore decides to give scholarship to students, are they going to stop him, when they themselves are not giving scholarship? Whatever reason the government has adduced in this matter is parochial, counter-productive and an exercise in futility by implications."

Belgore said the state government ought to apologise to the thousands of potential beneficiaries of his truncated free holiday coaching rather than continue to give "lame and contradictory excuses."

The legal luminary also insisted that permission was sought and received from the concerned head-teachers before the scheme kicked off, contrary to what he called "contradictory and laughable" excuses by the state.

Speaking further on the state government's claim that he did not secure its approval to use the facilities, Belgore said the government lied and was only giving face-saving yet contradictory excuses.

He said the initiative would proceed at private facilities if the government disallows the use of public-owned facilities for the laudable effort.

In a statement, Belgore's media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye added: "We cannot but laugh at the puerile excuses the Kwara State Government is giving for stopping an effort geared towards improving the educational standards of our youths. Rather than apologise to the people of Kwara State for such shameful conduct, the government has continued to give the lame yet fallacious and contradictory excuse that we did not comply with laid-down rules, which incidentally and laughably too, were just concocted after the incident to justify the shameful behaviour.

"While the Governor's spokesman, Muhyideen Akorede, said we ought to pass through the Ministry of Education and not the head-teachers, the Ministry of Education said anybody willing to use schools should apply through the head-teachers. For the records, we wrote to the head-teachers of the respective schools and got their nods to use the facilities. Permissions were sought and received.

"In fact, the action of the state government contradicts the universal human rights that make dissemination of useful knowledge a fundamental right of all human beings. It is therefore a shame that Kwara State Government, which has failed over the years to adequately equip the people with sound education, is bent on frustrating private citizens who see education as the only true means of empowerment and are working in that direction."

"This government is committing a grave error if it thinks that this action would deter us from reaching out to every Kwaran, irrespective of political affiliations, who desires assistance in the area of human capital development," he added.