The Traffic

"Oyo APC Blasts Gov. Makinde Over 'N10,000 Fraud' With Swedish Firm, Claims Students Are Being Exploited"

By Achimi Muktari 

In a blistering accusation, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde is siphoning funds from students of state-owned tertiary institutions through a shady deal with a Swedish company. According to the opposition party, the governor struck a deal with the firm, SchoolTry, during a recent trip to Europe, where it was allegedly agreed that the company would receive ₦10,000 from each student's school fees under the guise of providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services.

The APC claims that this deal, which has yet to gain approval from many stakeholders in the education sector, is nothing more than an exploitative scheme aimed at enriching a few at the expense of the students and the state's tertiary institutions.

In a statement issued over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC expressed deep concerns about the alleged scheme, accusing Governor Makinde of prioritizing personal gain over the development of educational infrastructure. “It’s alarming that while Governor Makinde ignores the dilapidated state of primary and secondary schools across the state, he’s making backdoor deals to funnel money from students' pockets into those of foreign companies and political cronies,” the statement read.

Hidden Fees and Broken Promises

According to the APC, the deal with SchoolTry involves the foreign company collecting ₦10,000 per student from their school fees, with little to no clarity about the ICT services being provided. “There is no justification for this charge," the statement continued, "as it offers no tangible benefit to the students or the institutions. It is simply another avenue for the administration to siphon funds under the guise of modernization and technology."

The APC further criticized the timing of this alleged contract, pointing out that Governor Makinde's government has neglected much-needed infrastructural upgrades in most public schools while focusing on projects that appear to serve personal or political interests. "It is tragic that instead of investing in critical rehabilitation for our educational facilities, the governor is busy constructing and donating multi-million-naira structures to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West Zone."

Tertiary Institutions Struggling

The statement also lamented the poor state of tertiary institutions under Makinde’s administration, which, the APC claims, have been left to flounder under the control of external consultants. According to Sadare, many of these institutions have been deprived of adequate funding and resources, leaving them unable to perform essential tasks like staff training, research funding, and infrastructure maintenance.

"Local governments and tertiary institutions have been financially strangled by consultants who now control their financial resources, making it difficult for them to function properly. This latest contract with the Swedish company is yet another layer of exploitation that will further cripple these institutions," the APC warned.

Although Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso is reported to have escaped the clutches of these consultants, other institutions have not been so lucky. The APC alleges that the new deal with SchoolTry is designed to continue this trend of financial mismanagement and exploitation.

Call for Action

In its statement, the APC called on Governor Makinde to abandon the deal and allow the governing boards and management of state-owned tertiary institutions to regain full