The state government has reopened no fewer than 23 schools that had been shut down ten years ago in the Oyo State local government areas of Atiba, Afijio, Oyo East, and Oyo West.
This was revealed in a statement released on Thursday by Dotun Oyelade, the state commissioner for information and orientation.
Oyelade said the schools were reopened following a resolution of the boundary dispute between the communities.
He claimed that the long-running dispute was settled at a stakeholders’ meeting that was chaired by the state’s boundary dispute committee chairman, deputy governor Bayo Lawal, at the Western Hall in Ibadan.
Lawal was said to have appealed to all stakeholders in the affected communities to embrace peace while warning that the government would not tolerate any act that may breach the peace of the communities.
He also enjoined the lawmakers representing the affected communities to work with traditional rulers and necessary stakeholders for a lasting solution to the dispute.
“I appeal to you our elders and chairmen of the affected local governments to consider the future of these children. The primary reason this meeting is held is for the schools that were closed for 10 years to reopen immediately. That is the message from the governor himself.
“We have engaged all the stakeholders, community leaders, Honourable members, the chairmen of the various local governments, and we have agreed that schools must reopen in the interest of those children,” he said.
Some of the affected schools include Community Basic School Obananko, Oyo; Community Basic School Laagbe, Oyo; Pinnock Memorial Bapt School Aba Epo Oluwatedo, Oyo; Bapt Basic School Oluwatedo, Oyo; St. Luke Anglican Bada Idiyalode, Oyo; L.A. Basic School Ago Oyo; Community Basic School Igbo Olose, Oyo in Oyo West LG.
Others were Community Basic School Adebimpe, Oyo; Community Basic School Obasere, Oyo; St. Thomas Anglican School Alabi Olorunda, Oyo; St. Michael RCM Apaara Village, Oyo; Methodist Primary School Ajagba, Oyo; Bapt Central School Oniyanrin, Oyo; Bapt Primary School Aguo, Oyo; ADS Primary School Baba Elesin, Oyo in Oyo East LG.
Also affected were L.A. School Lannite, Oyo; L.A. Primary School Gudugbu Orile, Oyo; L.A. Primary School Gudugbu, Oyo; ADS Primary School Aba Olori, Oyo; ADS Primary Abujakan, Oyo; L.A. Basic School Alagbon, Oyo and L.A. Basic School Imeleke, Oyo also in Oyo East LG.
To curb the menace of out-of-school children, the state government in 2023, said it initiated a programme targeted at mopping up 1.5 million out-of-school children after those that have been successfully returned to classrooms under the BESDA between 2017 and 2022.