Governor Abiodun Signs New Law for Education and Skills Fund

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, signed the State Education and Skills Trust Fund Bill into law on Friday. This new law aims to create a way for better funding and management of education and skills development in the state.

After the signing ceremony at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Oludaisi Elemide, spoke to journalists. He said the law would help improve the quality of education and outcomes in the state's education system.

Elemide explained that the law aims to make education “more meaningful, more qualitative and more constructive.” He added that the bill came after talking with the public and stakeholders.

“We are just trying to make education more meaningful, more qualitative and more constructive. It will be more encompassing; that is what the bill is all about,” he said.

The Speaker is hopeful that this law will boost Ogun’s education sector and keep the state as a top education destination in Nigeria. But he also highlighted the need for more involvement from the private sector. He mentioned that the government alone cannot provide the large funds needed for education.

“The private people too need to contribute. After all, they are the ones that will inherit these people after being educated,” Elemide said.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, also talked about the Trust Fund. He said it would support both formal and informal education, focusing on skills acquisition and vocational training.

He noted that the fund would be an extra source of money besides the usual budget. It will help with important areas like school infrastructure, bursaries, teacher support, and maintenance.

“In other words, we have put in place a mechanism of ensuring that education can also still be funded through another source different from the normal budgetary allocation,” Arigbabu said.

The Commissioner mentioned that the state had been working under an executive bill signed by the governor three years ago. He said this new law gives a stronger legal basis for the Trust Fund.

According to him, this law will also help mix informal education into Ogun’s education system by improving the traditional apprenticeship model.

Arigbabu shared that over 9,000 youths have been trained in different skills through the state’s initiatives. He said the Education and Skills Trust Fund will provide extra funding, especially for expanding informal education, vocational training, and other skills development programs in Ogun State.