The Ondo State Government has cleared students of Oyemekun Grammar School and Aquinas College who were sanctioned over their involvement in disturbances during end-of-school “sign-out” celebrations.
The government said the students had undergone a four-week rehabilitation and reorientation programme designed to correct their behaviour and discourage them from engaging in activities capable of threatening public peace.
The programme was organised by the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in collaboration with the Nigerian Correctional Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Specialist Hospital.
Speaking during the programme’s concluding event at the Ministry’s Conference Room, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the government had decided to prioritise rehabilitation and counselling rather than punitive measures that could jeopardise the students’ future.
Ajibefun disclosed that the students’ names had been permanently removed from the Black Book, while their previously withheld West African Senior School Certificate Examination certificates would also be released.
The commissioner urged the students to demonstrate responsible behaviour and become positive representatives of their families, schools and the country.
He said, “What you have done has been totally forgiven because you have undergone the desired change, so, we want you to continue to behave in a responsible way. Anywhere you find yourself, you are representing your family; you are representing Nigeria.”
Ajibefun added that the Ministry would continue to monitor the students to ensure that the behavioural changes achieved during the rehabilitation programme were sustained.
The Director of Guidance and Counselling, Continuous Assessment and Evaluation in the Ministry, Mrs Olufunke Ademuyiwa, said the four-week programme included psycho-education, individual and group counselling, behavioural reflection and anger management.
According to her, the students demonstrated significant positive changes and expressed willingness to encourage other young people to make responsible choices.
She said the students also visited the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Specialist Hospital and the Correctional Centre in Akure, where they received counselling and participated in educational sessions.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Ondo State Command, CSC Oyewole Adedayo, advised the students to avoid criminal activities that could result in imprisonment.
He also urged teachers to strengthen their supervision of students and called on parents and guardians to pay greater attention to the upbringing and conduct of their children.
Similarly, the Ondo State Commandant of the NDLEA, CN Gabriel Folayemi, represented by the Assistant State Commandant, Counselling, Treatment and Rehabilitation, CSN Funmilayo Bamisaye, urged the students to make responsible choices in their relationships and associations.
Bamisaye also recommended the establishment of a continuous mentoring platform for young people displaying similar behavioural tendencies as a preventive measure.
The Chief Medical Director of the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Specialist Hospital, Akure, Dr Sunday Sajo, urged the government to sustain the rehabilitation initiative, advising the students to maintain relationships with responsible adults who could provide guidance and mentorship.
Magistrate Damilola Sekoni also called for regular orientation and counselling programmes in schools and warned the students against repeating the offences that led to their rehabilitation.
The principals of the two affected schools commended the State Government for the initiative and urged the students to maintain good conduct and serve as positive examples to their peers.
