Kunle Adelabu
-Provides free uniforms, bags, books
-Gets parents’ commendations
While many communities are still waiting on the government to provide public schools for the education of their children, the Obareru of Egbin kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Akeem Adeoriyomi Oyebo, has took it upon himself to establish the first public school in his kingdom which is a tuition-free school.
Egbin Kingdom is one of the major communities in Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria.
The school, which is named, ‘Egbin Kingdom Primary School’, is temporarily located close to the imposing and the architectural masterpiece Obateru palace near the Lagoon and the Egbin Thermal Station, while the permanent site is currently under construction along the Egbin – Ijede road.
The school is presently serving various communities in Ijede LCDA with residents bringing their wards for enrollment from Ipakan, Ijede main town and other surrounding towns.
As part of measures to encourage parents and pupils, the royal father is also providing free uniforms, books and school bags for all the pupils enrolled, while there is also plan to give pupils one meal a day.
This uncommon gesture by the First Class monarch has since been receiving commendations and prayers from parents, many of whom do not have the means to send their kids to school.
In actual fact, if not for the establishment of the school, most of the about 300 children that has so far been enrolled would still be roaming the streets or be at home while their peers are in schools elsewhere.
When our reporter visited the school last week Thursday, to take a tour of the facility, pupils were already adjusting to their new environment in their respective casual dresses.
On the same day, school uniforms were distributed to the pupils in the presence of their parents who later had a meeting with the administrator of the school.
Some of the parents who spoke with THE IMPACT commended the gesture by the royal father, stating that it is a development that would greatly assist parents and develop the community.
Mrs Rukayat Ajarat Ayuba, speaking with our reporter, said that the establishment of the school is a relief for many parents who have no means to sponsor their wards’ education while also describing the gesture as a welcome development.
“The establishment of this school by Obateru will greatly help us (parents) to bring our children here for studies. There are many among us that cannot afford to give their children formal education but with this school, they can now give their children good education”, she said.
“We thank Obateru for assisting parents, especially those who have no means to educate their wards.
“This is a welcome development in our community. From all indications, it is a public school but it’s being run like a private one.”
Mrs Deola Obas, a resident of Aiyegbami in Ijede who enrolled her kid in KG class, was full of praise for Oba Oyebo for assisting residents with the establishment of the school.
She called on the government to come to the aid of the royal father and the community in firmly establishing the school.
“It is really good. It is a way of helping the community”, she said
“We thank Obateru for establishing the school and taking good care of our children by providing them with education and necessary materials they required to learn with.
“We want the government to intervene and assist him (Obateru) to firmly establish the school for the benefit of the community.
Another resident, Mr Ogbodo Sunday who has his son in Nursery One, described Obateru as father who loves and cares for his people and community.
“The school has just started and they have been accepting our children. It is a very good development”, he said.
“Obateru has proven that he is a true King who loves and cares for his people”, Mr Ogbodo added.
“This is indeed a great development and one that will help families and entire community to grow and develop very well”.
Mrs Basirat Ayuba, a resident of Oko Ope in Ijede, also joined other parents in praising the monarch for the good development in Egbin Kingdom.
She also charged the government, both at the local and state levels, to support Obateru in completing the school.
“What Obateru has done for our children and the community at large is wonderful. This is a great development in Egbin and the entire Ijede LCDA”, she said.
“I had to withdraw my kids from a private school that they were going before and bring them here.
“We want the government to support Obateru in completing this school and also provide a secondary school.
“They are going to give our children bags, books and school uniforms. In addition, we are not going to pay for the school. This is very commendable”, she said
THE IMPACT also engaged Obateru’s queens on their educational support for the kids in the Egbin community and the impact of the new school established by their husband.
Olori Tolulope Titilayo Oyebo, speaking with THE IMPACT, said that she is excited seeing children in Egbin who have no access to education, now going to school.
“Yes, I have been sponsoring many children to school in Egbin before Obateru established the school. I paid their school fees, bought school uniforms, notebooks, textbooks , school shoes and school bags for them. I also put them in tutorial classes.
“But now, I’m so excited seeing almost 99.9 percent of Egbin children very happy going to school every day now, courtesy of the school established by the Obateru which is free. School uniforms , notebooks , school bags and other materials are also being given to them free by the monarch.
“His Royal Majesty, Oba Oyebo established the school for the children because he knows that they’re the leaders of tomorrow and it is important to prevent them from hawking and roaming about the street when they are supposed to be in school studying to be great in life”, Olori Tolulope said.
Also, in a chat with Olori Odunola Shakirat Oyebo who is out of the country, she said that she has been assisting children in Egbin community, particularly the indigent but brilliant ones, to go to school because of the importance of education.
“Education is the best legacy that can be bequeath to children. If you educate a child, you have been able to positively shape the future of a nuclear family. An educated mother and father know the impact of adequately educating their own children as well”, she said.
“There are so many brilliant children out there who are not opportuned to go to school as a result of their indigent background. It is our individual and collective responsibility in the community to ensurthat our children are favourably positioned educationally, socially and politically in Lagos State as well as nationally and internationally”.
The Obateru queen also said that Oba Oyebo was seriously disturbed by the lack of school in his kingdom which hosts the largest power generating station in the country, and that this informed the establishment of the school.
“Obateru has been seriously concerned about the lack of schools in Egbin. It’s even unheard of that a community that generates the largest chunk of power for the country and beyond does not have a primary school, let alone a secondary school”, Olori Odunola lamented.
“It has always been Obateru’s dream to have a school sited within the Egbin community. After waiting on the government for a long time and nothing seemed to be forthcoming, he decided to take on the challenge. This is truly a noble endeavor”.
She also stated that the effort of the Obateru palace in educating the children is an attempt geared towards developing the community.
“An idle hand is the devil’s workshop, so says an adage. If we engage our children in an institution of learning, they will not have time for other vices characterised by idleness”, she said.
“They will come out better prepared and positioned for self development. It’s a competitive world out there and our children should be given the opportunity of a level playing ground with their peers from other communities”, Olori Oyebo added.
“I see this step taken by the monarch as a step towards the immediate and future development of the Egbin community. Education as a tool for development and that cannot be over emphasized.
“I pray that God see him through this noble cause”, she prayed
Olori Adetokunbo Dosunmu – Oyebo, in her own response, said that the monarch has been a wonderful father to his kingdom.
Olori Oyebo said that due to lack of land in the kingdom for developmental purposes, Obateru had to convert his personal property to a school to provide education for the teeming populace of young children that do not have access to education.
“We thank God for what He has been doing in Egbin Kingdom and in the life of Kabiyesi, Dr Adeoriyomi Oluwasesan Abdul – Hakeen who has been a wonderful father to the whole community and we thank him for the progress and development in Egbin community”, Olori Oyebo said.
“Since we don’t have much land in Egbin Kingdom, Kabiyesi started the new school in Egbin with his own personal land that he bought.
“This is a development that everybody likes and we have been praying for him for what he has been doing.
“The school has started and the Kabiyesi has been providing free uniforms, bags and books for the pupils. We thank God for him and pray that God will continue to bless him abundantly”, she added.
Olori Oyebo, who was filled with joy seeing parents bringing their children for enrollment in the school, said that long before the establishment of the Egbin Kingdom Nursery & Primary School, the royal father and his wives had been responsible for sponsoring many children to school.
“I feel great seeing mothers bringing their children to this school and the enthusiasm in the pupils to learn also made me feel fulfilled. I am very happy and excited about the development”, an elated Olori Oyebo said.
“Long before Kabiyesi started this school, other Oloris and l had a couple of children in the community whom we were responsible for their education. Each of us had like four to five students that we were paying their school fees while Kabiyesi had many that he was sponsoring too.
“But with the establishment of this school, they are now in Egbin Kingdom Nursery and Primary School.
“As a mother, I am really excited because most of these children just walk around from morning till night. They just wander around Egbin because there was no school and their parents cannot afford to send them where school is available.
“We are so happy now that all of them are now in school and Kabiyesi has provided everything for free. Personally, I am excited and happy to see those children and their parents excited. It is an amazing progress”, she further stated.
“lt’s a progress that touches our hearts. It gladdens my heart to see those children now coming to school everyday to learn. That is what life is all about, to give back to the community and building our tomorrow which are these children”.
THE iMPACT gathered that the Egbin monarch initially planned for about 200 enrolments but as at last week when we visited the school, the record showed that parents from the kingdom and beyond have been bringing their children for enrolment with close to 300 children already enrolled.
Olori Adetokunbo also revealed that the monarch has given standing instruction to the school administrator that they must accommodate as many as possible that come to the school for enrolment.
“Before, we had about 300 pupils and yesterday (last Thursday), we had about eight that came to register and today, another five came to register. Parents have been bringing their children and they are still coming”, she said.
“The Kabiyesi has also given instruction to that Proprietress that she should not send anybody back and that she must ensure that everyone that comes around is registered”.
She said that construction of a new structures is underway to accommodate the pupils and that a plan is also underway to provide a meal daily for the pupils.
“We are building new structures to create more classes and making more chairs and tables and doing everything to make the school comfortable for the pupils”, she said.
“Kabiyesi is even considering getting a caterer to give a meal a day for the pupils. He has been engaging the committee in – charge of the school on how to improve the facilities on ground and make the school better.
“Another plan of his is to empower the youths that are not in school or engage in any work. The arrangement is there but his focus right now is how to make the school a standard one”, Olori Obateru said.
