Some parents have expressed fears over attacks on schools, as the governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde directed that schools in Ibadan, the state capital, should resume normal academic activities from Monday, October 26, 2020.
Making this known in a statement issued on Sunday, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye said that the directive followed a review of the situation in Ibadan metropolis, as earlier promised by the governor in a state broadcast.
The statement read: “His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, directed the closure of schools in Ibadan metropolis on Tuesday, 20th of October, 2020, following the #EndSARS protests that rocked the state.
“His Excellency had, in a message to the people of Oyo State, stated that the situation will be reviewed on Friday, 23rd October, 2020.
“Following a review of the situation as earlier promised, the state government is happy to observe that normalcy has returned to the state in the aftermath of the protests.
“His Excellency, Governor Makinde, appreciates the youths who have been cooperating with security operatives to maintain peace, while assuring them that their demands are being addressed.”
However, some parents and guardians, who spoke under anonymity, expressed their misgivings over the resumption is schools by their children and wards.
One of the parents said the activities of hoodlums parading themselves as EndSARS protesters could endanger the lives of students as they might be forced to come out of their schools to join the terror the hoodlums were unleashing on public, private and individual organizations and establishments.
“I will not want the lives of our children to be endangered. I plead with the state government to let us watch for one more week, to ensure the safety of our children,” a parent said.