Re- Renaming of Tai Solarin College of Education; The Truth of the matter By Segun Awonusi

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I find this write up good but there are a few issues to explain to the public to have a balanced view. Let me also add that I regard the late Dr Tai Solarin as a great patriot or Nigerian of high social value particularly in the educational space.
The educationist deserves to be honoured. A brief excursus into history shows that Ogun State College of Education was established by the late Gov Bisi Onabanjo. Col Akintonde , former military Governor of Ogun State, performed the name change to honour Tai Solarin. Some years ago, NCE programmes, nationwide became increasingly less subscribed while the demand for university education soared. Gov Osoba had earlier directed the college to undertake some degree awarding programmes with affliation to some universities. When Gov Daniel came on board, he had to address the problem of low subscription and related matters, so he upgraded the college to a university of education with the name Tai Solarin, that had become a brand, unchanged. The university offered degree programmes while the college offered NCE programmes both on the same campus. Then the NCCE, a national body accrediting NCE programmes came up with an unexpected problem that it cannot come to a university ( supervised by NUC) to accredit NCE programmes, saying the college should either be separated or de- established. This led to the disarticulation of the cohabitation by Gov Daniel by moving the NCE college to Omu, but still retaining the name Tai Solarin. Later both NUC and NCCE frowned at using the same name identification for two higher institutions in the same space. Then came the present administration of Gov Abiodun who had to resolve the problem. He retained the name of Tai Solain ( who had passed on to the other side of the ethreal divide) for the University and honoured the Awujale ( a living, avowed contribution to education) by naming the college after him. What Gov Abiodun did has not diminished the stature of the late educationist. In fact it is an act of wisdom or sagacity for which he should be praised, not denigrated.

–Prof Awonusi