The Ogun State Government has reiterated that the ban on graduation ceremonies for non-terminal classes remains in force across all approved public and private schools in the state warning that defaulting institutions risk sanctions for violating government regulations.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, gave the stressed that the directive applies to both public and private schools operating under the approval of the state government.
Responding to reports that some schools were planning graduation ceremonies despite the government’s directive, the commissioner maintained that all approved schools are expected to comply with the policy: “The directive is for all schools, public or private, as long as the school is a school approved by the state government. So, if any school goes against that directive, well, I pray that the school is not caught. Don’t forget that the government put regulations in place. Even they say, don’t steal. If you steal, you are not caught, well, you are lucky.When you are caught, well, it’s dangerous. So, if any school decides to go against the directive we are giving, let them not forget that we are the regulators,” he said.
The directive follows a wave of growing frustration from parents across Ogun State, who have flooded the Ministry of Education with complaints regarding extortion and excessive financial demands by school administrators for annual parties. In response to these economic pressures, the state government initially issued the restriction in 2024 to protect households from unnecessary financial burdens, particularly for students who were merely moving up to the next regular class.
Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu reiterated and reinforced the enforcement of this ban ahead of the 2026 school third-term completions, warning that the state will strictly sanction any public or private school heads who continue to levy parents for unauthorized non-terminal graduation ceremonies.
EDUCATION SECTOR UNDER GOVERNOR DAPO ABIODUN
Speaking on the broader performance of the education sector under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the commissioner said the government had embarked on a comprehensive education revitalization agenda immediately after assuming office, with reforms centred on curriculum development, school management, technology, funding, infrastructure and student welfare.
“I would say that the administration came on board and because the government was not really pleased with what it met, we activated what we call the Ogun State education revitalization agenda. Through that agenda, we implemented six pillars, curriculum, school management, technology and innovation, revenue and funding, child welfare and student welfare, and of course infrastructure.” he stated.
The commissioner highlighted efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning through targeted investments in model schools, digital learning facilities and teacher capacity development, saying the government has continued to expand access to smart classrooms and strengthen science education across the state.
“We introduced what we call the Flagship Schools in ogun state There are 86 of them now. And in all Flagship Schools, we have done a lot of initiatives. Part of it is the Smart Classrooms that we have in those Flagship Schools. Of course, we have the Smart Classrooms in 236 schools out of the 517 that we have. But we are still counting because we will continue to do that until the end of the administration.” he assured.
Arigbabu said the state has invested significantly in school infrastructure, including the construction of new classrooms and renovation of existing facilities across public schools under the Ogun Rehab initiative.
“On infrastructure, I don’t need to tell you again, go around the schools, you see a lot of yellow roofs around, schools that are built from scratch, classrooms that are built from scratch, and those that we actually renovated. A lot of those ones are going on. And it also falls under what we call the Ogun rehab, Ogun rehab is the Ogun State rehabilitation of halls and academic buildings.” he said.
The commissioner also highlighted improvements in teachers’ welfare, noting that salary payments have become regular while longstanding promotion backlogs inherited by the administration have largely been cleared.
“Apart from that, you see that the issue of the welfare of teachers, is well taken care of. Teachers now get their salaries on time, and you know, backlog of promotions that were met by the administration was cleared from 2016 and that’s not for teachers alone, it’s actually for all civil servants.”
Arigbabu also revealed that the education reforms being implemented by the Ogun State Government are beginning to attract national attention, revealing that several state governments have expressed interest in understudying the initiatives with a view to replicating them in their own education systems.
“So, some of our initiatives. I can tell you now that about five states have indicated interest in coming here to study some of the initiatives we have in the education sector. That is because what we are doing also interests them, and they actually want to learn how we are doing this. I don’t want to mention the states, but actually five of them that have indicated interest in coming to see us.” he said.
On technology-driven education, Arigbabu said Ogun State has emerged as a national leader, with several innovations introduced by the state now being adopted elsewhere in the country.
“So, apart from that, in the area of technology, we have been acknowledged, even nationally, as a leader in that sector, using technology to drive education. Some of the initiatives we brought, of course, have been emulated by other states. And in fact, the federal government offices encourage all states to fall in line with what we call the learner identification number, which we started about five years ago in Ogun State. They’ve adopted that And right now, we are using that to ensure that we have better data in schools.” he stated.
The commissioner further said the state also introduced OgunLearn, an artificial intelligence-powered teaching and learning platform, alongside several technology-based initiatives aimed at improving learning outcomes and examination processes.
“We have also implemented what we call the OgunLearn. OgunLearn is the first of its kind, artificial intelligence-powered teaching and learning platform that is making teaching and learning very, very robust in our schools now.”
He noted that teachers and students in the state have continued to distinguish themselves in national competitions, adding that Ogun currently boasts Nigeria’s best teacher.
“Our teachers continue to win awards. The best teacher in Nigeria today is from Ogun State, the guy won the best in Ogun State, won the best in Southwest, won the best in Nigeria, and got a total of N8 million and two brand new cars.”
Arigbabu also highlighted ongoing investments in technical education, saying all eight government technical colleges have been rehabilitated and equipped with modern facilities sourced from the United Kingdom, Turkey and China.
“All our technical colleges are wearing the new look. You need to go there now and see what we have done in the technical colleges. Eight of them in Ogun State. We have totally revamped that sector. We have refurbished the entire structures in the school. And we have brought in equipment from the UK, from Turkey, from China.” he said.
He explained that the government has equally strengthened vocational education by re-engineering the traditional apprenticeship system through the Ogun State Skills Fund, providing training support, start-up kits and access to equipment through the Ogun Job Centre and Work Hub initiative.
According to the commissioner, the state is also working to integrate Quranic schools into its formal education framework while expanding innovative programmes across the sector.
“Right now, we are also thinking of making sure that all our Quranic schools are also captured, through what we call the IQS, that is Integrated Quranic School, and the IQTS, which is Integrated Quranic and Shangara School. So, all these are part of the initiative.” He concluded.
