The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, expressed concern at the falling standard of education in Osun State, IgbereTV reports
Aregbesola spoke when he was presented with a Life-Time Achievement Award by the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
He said the award was a recognition of his contribution to the development of education in Osun during his tenure as governor of the state.
The minister said: “Osun was ranked as one of the 10th largest economies in Nigeria, ranked as 2nd highest in schools enrolment/attendance, next to Lagos State with enrolment moving from 15 to 45, and later to over 65 percent by the time I left office.
“But sadly today, the situation has changed. And it pained me that the vision and capacity that we demonstrated in delivering services to the people have been arrested. I am only putting the records straight and not to castigate anybody.
“In terms of security of lives and property, Osun was first in Nigeria peace index according to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (2018). Those who attempted to rob a bank in Osun paid the supreme price for their action as they were neutralised by security forces. We invested heavily on security and lifted over 700,000 people out of poverty.”
