The Managing Director of the University Press PLC, Mr. Samuel Kolawole said the environment in Oyo State has been conducive to the company which is flourishing and also making Ibadan, the publishing capital of Nigeria.
“We have come here today with a list of books that we are donating to the state in the hope that they would go to libraries of some primary and secondary schools in the state.
“We will be happy if we find that within the shortest time possible, these books are distributed to libraries and they are in use because we have had situations where books will be donated and they will gather dust in one corner of an office with those who are supposed to benefit from them not benefiting from them. So, we will appreciate if they are distributed accordingly,” Kolawole said.
He noted that the company would make donations to the government more often, promising to extend its donations to the State Library in the not too distant future
The governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde said the state will partner the University Press PLC to develop the education sector in the state.
The governor also noted that his administration is willing to explore collaborations with critical stakeholders in the sector to improve the standard of education.
The state allocated over 22 per cent to education in the 2020 Budget to meet the recommendation for education spending by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), noting that his decision to spend heavily on education was informed by the fact that the sector is one of the four pillars of his administration.
He said: “Education is one of the pillars upon which this administration is resting. For the first time, we met the UNESCO recommendation on the percentage of the budget to be allocated to education. This year we allocated 22 per cent to education.
“So, any support from any quarter is welcome. Rest assured that more patronage is on the way from the government of Oyo state. We do appreciate this gesture. On behalf of the government and the people of Oyo state I want to say thank you and that we appreciate you and we also look forward to more collaborations.”
Governor Makinde, who explained that Oyo State under his watch would continue to prioritise education and move it from the current poor position it occupies in public examinations to a better standing, also stated that the door of the government is open to any support that can assist the education sector in the state.
“When I came in, I realized that Oyo State has been stuck at number 26 in terms of states’ ranking based on WASSCE results. We want to make a considerable impact as regards the state’s result. This year the first result under our watch will be out. We have been here for 10 months and two weeks. We hope that by June/July, the result will be out and we may be coming back to you for support because we would be evaluating our endeavor,” the governor said.
He hinted that his administration is ready to reduce the amount to be paid as tax for any organization that is of assistance in the running of the state, saying: “Also, for CSR like this, any tax you are to pay to Oyo State, you are at liberty to deduct the cost of whatever you have done. It is one of the things I mentioned during election that we will encourage organizations, such that when they adopt our schools and provide things for us, we can, in return, allow a reduction in tax payments.”
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