The Oyo State Government has reclaimed a four-bedroom bungalow – built by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) – from the Fulani who converted it to live-in quarters.

Abegunde Adeoye, Local Inspector of Education (LIE) of Atisbo LGA in the state, told FIJ on Monday that after our reporter informed him about the Fulani living in the bungalow built in 2008 to aid education, the government swung into action and sacked the occupants.

Reacting to FIJ’s report on the poor state of girl-child education in the region, Adeoye said, “After we spoke, I visited the area and we told the Fulani to leave. I can confirm to you that nobody is living there now.”

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Adeoye lamented the poor attitude to education in the area, and said the building had not been put to use because there were no students to occupy it.

“The building is there now; nobody is using it,” he told FIJ. “You know, there are not enough students here, so nobody is using the building for now.”

On the teachings of Abdulfatah Alamu, a turbaned imam of the community mosque, Adeoye told FIJ that he had asked the head of headteachers in the community to caution him.

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FIJ reported how Alamu was teaching residents to shun western education for Islamic education, as that would take them to heaven.

Adeoye said the government was handling the situation with caution because religion is a sensitive topic in the area, and education is unpopular.

“When it comes to religion, one has to be careful,” he said. “Our area here is not very developed when it comes to education, so one has to be careful.”

He, however, added that the government was working to sensitise residents on the benefits of education, with the hope that education improves in the area.