Kunle Adelabu
After seeing the sorry state of the school established by Odo – Kekere community in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area, Asipa Kaoli Olatunji Olusanya, APC Vice Chairman, Lagos East Senatorial District, has complemented the community’s effort by completing one of the two blocks of three classrooms in the school.
He also provided benches and tables for the three classrooms.
The establishment of Odo – Kekere Junior High School was initiated by the Odo – Kekere Community Development Association (CDA) and the initiative had earned the community an 18- seater bus as gift for emerging in the third position in the Lagos State Government assessment of CDAs in the State.
However, in January this year, Asipa Kaoli offered to improve the structure in the school purposely established by residents to serve the education needs of their children who, for several decades, had been trekking several kilometres through impassable roads to attend schools in Odogunyan and other neighbouring towns where facilities are also inadequate.
The block of three classrooms, also equipped with tables and benches donated by the former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, was commissioned for the use of the students on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, at a ceremony attended by His Royal Majesties, Oba Kabir Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, and Oba David Raji Balogun, the Eweye of Isiwu, as well as Hon. Adeola Banjo, the Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA, Hon. Kunle Ogunbela, the former Executive Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA and Hon. Adeola Jokomba, also a former Chairman of lkorodu North LCDA among other dignitaries.
Meanwhile, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, speaking at the commissioning event, said that:
“My attention was drawn to the school by the community development association here when they joyfully announced to me that they won the third place in Lagos State Community Award and that they want to visit me”, Asipa Kaoli said.
“They came with their prize which is a brand new 18 – seater bus and I asked them about the project that earned them the prize and I was told that it was the school that they initiated.
“When I came to see the project, what I saw gave me a lot of concern and we sat down in one of the classrooms while they narrated why they decided to embark on the school project.
“The story was pathetic because their children had to trek from here down to Odogunyan which is about three to four kilometers to attend classes .
“And the classrooms at Odogunyan were overpopulated and in that type of environment, it is not likely to have a thorough education.
“That was why they decided to establish their own school which shows the burning desires of parents to give education to their children and when I saw the three classrooms that are here which are carcasses, it showed that there was no semblance of any meaningful infrastructure in the school”, he said.
As an educationist, Asipa Kaoli said that he committed himself to providing additional facilities that will provide conducive atmosphere for students to learn.
“The classrooms’ floors were not cemented, they were just bare ground and I was moved by how students could be subjected to this type of learning environment.
“The environment matters. Where you are being educated is very important; it speaks to it.
“It is even difficult to access this place because of the road and yet, we have Nigerians living there. It is necessary that the government provide facilities to engage them and make them experience development .
“These children have innate abilities that God has given them but we would need good education to help them develop the talents, without which the entire tomorrow of our country will be in jeopardy”, Asipa Kaoli said.
“I pledged to them that l would assist in improving what the parents have provided by constructing the other side of what they had constructed and provide additional three classrooms so that basic facilities will be provided for the students to have their education because their population will be increasing from – time – to – time and they will also be graduating from one class to the other and as a result of that, there would be need for expansion”, he said.
His Royal Majesty, Oba David Raji Balogun, the Eweye of Isiwu, thanked the Asipa Kaoli Olusanya for the donation of the three classrooms.
While also appreciating the Governor of Lagos State for his developmental efforts in the state, especially in Ikorodu division, he appealed for provision of more schools, classrooms, laboratory facilities, perimeter fencing of schools and adequate teachers among others.
Hon. Banjo Adeola Adebisi, Chairman, Ikorodu North LCDA, speaking with THE IMPACT, commended the community for their initiative and Asipa Kaoli for the support.
“I feel honoured to be here today among the progressives and I am really proud that the community has not waited on the government to start this school. It is worth emulating.
“We also thank Asipa Kaoli for the hands of giving he has extended to Odo Kekere. We are proud of him. He has been doing such before because this is not his first”.
While stating that his administration has been intervening in uplifting standards in schools, Hon. Banjo also said that the council is working towards TESCOM acquiring the school for better intervention.
“When I came on board, I embarked on phasing out all the blackboards in all schools within the LCDA and I have been doing this batches. I have also donated white marker boards to the school and l am still going to do more.
“My prayer is that TESCOM should take over the school so that the government can be fully responsible for the improvement of its structure and staffing”.
He also assured that shops surrounding the school will be relocated to create a conducive academic environment.
“We don’t need to tell the blind man that the market is over. The market that is surrounding the school will vacate the environment. I am very sure of that”.
The Principal of Odo – Kekere Junior High School, thanked Asipa Kaoli Olusanya and the community for their efforts in establishing and improving on the school in a community that lacks one since the creation of the community.
