The decision to suspend Prof. Taoheed Adedoja from the Action Congress by the party leadership in the state was hurriedly reached without due cognizance to the law of natural justice. Looking at it exclusively` from the angle of party politics, one may be tempted to join the group that criticize his acceptance of the appointment as state Commissioner for Education under Governor Alao Akala who was his opponent in the 2007 gubernatorial election in Oyo State. But considering the political expediency and circumstances that surrounded the appointment, the arguments of the critics may at best be considered meretricious.
Apparently, political parties have the right and power to sanction any of its erring members but in the present circumstance, he was not given fair trial according to a special release by his Personal Assistant, Mr. Kayode Ojoogun.
Beyond his suspension from the party however is the violation of his right to fair hearing and this of course is a legal issue. So, the suspension order as recently pronounced by the indignant AC leaders in Oyo State is a right violation and cannot be sustained.
No matter the gravity of the offence committed by a person, the presumption in law is that he remains innocent until it is otherwise proved. Hence, a mere allegation does not constitute guiltiness. The need for reversal of the hurriedly taken decision to suspend his membership of the party.
But this is not altogether unexpected in a country where people and the government pay leap service to the rule of law. Amazingly, the attitude of the AC leadership in suspending Adedoja from the party reminds one of the experiences of dark age and of the military era. Surprisingly, the party is yet to explain why his appointment is injurious to the party.
Candidly, it is not an aberration for an AC gubernatorial candidate to serve under the PDP controlled state. Similar thing happened under Obasanjo's Administration when the late Bola Ige despite his opposition to PDP was appointed and served as Minister for Mines and Power and later the Minister for Justice and Attorney General of Federation before he was assassinated in a gruesome manner. Rather than defecting from his party, he defended the party interest throughout his sojourn in the PDP government. This further indicates that there is an accentuation between party politics and act of governance. Therefore, it is by quirk of faith and history that the duo were given appointments by their opponents.
I would also like to reiterate that Adedoja's failure to emerge as the winner in the April 2007 gubernatorial election has not reduced him to a beggary or worse still an amala politician as speculated in some quarters. The shocking reality is that Oyo State needs a versatile and highly experienced person like Prof. Adedoja to man the educational sector. Essentially, education needs to be given more attention by the state government and this partly justifies the appointment of Adedoja by the PDP government in Oyo State . Of equal importance is Adedoja's pedigree and achievements as the former provost of the FCE special Oyo and considering his performances when he served as SUBEB Chairman, he is best suited for the job. No doubts, the Professor understands the intimate relationship between intellectual capital development and the state economic growth. He only needs people's credence to perform the magic.
In this period of global demand for implementation of Millennium Development goals and EFA declarations, Oyo State needs the service of Prof. Adedoja as a seasoned academic, erudite scholar and for his spotless reputation. What further explanation would the party need in order to give the man the chance to offer his best to the service of good people of Oyo State .
Taking a retrospective look at his tenure as SUBEB Chairman, Oyo State was rated best in the provision of quality teacher and educational infrastructure among others. That is why, two weeks of his assumption of office as Commissioner for Education, he was invited to Abuja to receive National Educational Award in appreciation of his achievements when he served as a SUBEB Chairman.
In trying to reposition the Oyo State educational system, Adedoja should ensure increase in the educational finance, improve the provision of educational facilities in the schools and he should give priority to employment of more qualified teachers.
I am also looking forward to see him planning a sound base for the state educational development and he should put in place programmes that would improve the academic achievement of the students in Oyo State .
By:
ONIKE RAHAMAN
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