Corruption has been identified as Nigeria’s biggest problem and the bane of the country’s development.

Lamenting the state of affairs in the country, former governor of old Oyo State, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, said: “We have brains and natural resources, but the only thing missing out is the will to develop the country owing to the pervasive nature of corruption. Truth is, our leaders do not obey time and corruption remains the bane of this country.”

The veteran politician was speaking during the 2nd Annual Symposium, Luncheon and Merit Award Ceremony of the Government College Ibadan Old Boy’s Association (GCIOBA) Ibadan Branch) held at the Felicia Hall, Jogor Centre, Ibadan, South-West Nigeria.

He lamented that the country’s education sector has been ruined due to the lack of will to develop it to a desirable height. Dr. Olunloyo predicted that the downward trend would continue “if the perennial tide of corruption in the sector is not stemmed as fast as possible.”

He described Government College Ibadan as “a good school” and urged all to assist the school to survive and attain greater heights.

In his speech at the forum which had as theme ‘The Critical Path In Reviving Excellent Education and Leadership In Nigeria’, the National President of GCIOBA, Mr. Biodun Jolaoso, lamented the infrastructural decay in the school. He said that the old boys have spent more than N100 million on the renovation of facilities in the school in the last five years, yet “in spite of our spirited efforts, the school has continued to witness an academic decline. This we cannot allow to continue.”

Jolaoso disclosed that in the next two years, GCIOBA would focus attention “more on the student population and the teachers,” saying: “Presently, we have about 3,225 students with only 36 teachers which give us a student/teacher ratio of 300:1, which is most deplorable situation that requires an immediate redress. So, we need employ more teachers.”

The chairman of the occasion, Chief Emiola Adesina, in his contribution remarked that there were a lot of issues to deal with as far as education is concerned. His words: “There is no doubt that there is crisis in our education system and it is drastically going down the drain. Be that as it may, we have a foresight to achieve, at all cost, excellence in the sector. So, the Pacesetter State (Oyo) needs to take up the challenge in the arena of education.”

During the symposium segment of the event held on Sunday (June 16), one of the discussants, Prof. Adigun Agbaje, explained that there was a fundamental link between education and positive development, buttressing that it was a matter of life or death. He said: “Let us not deceive ourselves here. It is either you educate your people and pervade the whole earth or vice versa.”

Another discussant, Prof. Jide Owoeye, called on the government to give the school to the old boys to run if it cannot take adequately care of it. In his contribution, Prof. Labode Popoola, also a discussant, highlighted efficiency, equal access, responsibility, improvement of school environment and infrastructural facilities, as well as re-energising the human capital as necessary steps to take to rescue the country’s education sector.

•Photo (L-R): Dr. Victor Olunloyo, Chief Emiola Adesina (3rd left) and other old boys of the Government College Ibadan, while chorusing one of their old songs.