Kunle Adelabu
Former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives and an apex leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ikorodu Division, Asipa Kaoli Olatunji Olusanya, has intervened in rehabilitating an abandoned block of classrooms and toilet facilities at the Salvation Army Primary School, Ikorodu.
Asipa Kaoli, who is the Founder and Chief Learning Officer, Kith and Kins Schools, took it upon himself to fully rehabilitate the block which consisted of six classrooms and 12 toilet facilities.
The six classrooms were also furnished with chairs and benches while the 12 toilets were connected to the borehole water system.
We gathered that the newly rehabilitated structure will be commissioned and handed – over to the school next week.
THE IMPACT had, on September 21, 2021, published a detailed report titled, ‘Salvation Army Pry School, Ikorodu: A School, Death Trap Or Animal Farm?,’ when ceilings in one of the dilapidated classrooms fell on pupils in nursery class and badly injured one of them on his head, showing the extent of decadence of the structures in the school.
Out of the five structures in the school then, the only one that was fit for learning was a block of four classrooms facilitated by Rep. Babajimi Benson. While two others were structurally defected and not safe, the two remaining structures had been vandalized and abandoned and were being occupied by livestock and hoodlums.
It was one of the two vandalized structures that Asipa Kaoli rehabilitated for the use of the school.
When our reporter visited the school on Thursday, the oldest building within the compound which is one of the two defected structures, has been pulled down. It was gathered that the authority of the Ikorodu Local Government demolished the structure after we reported its bad state.
The school’s collapsed fence which was also reported to have been providing access to hoodlums and livestock into the school premises, has also been rebuilt by the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of School (SCRPS).
Also, a new gate and security post have been erected at the entrance of the school.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Ikorodu – Oga Development Association (IKODASS), Mr Rotimi Erogbogbo has commended the intervention by Asipa Kaoli Olusanya in rehabilitating the block of classrooms with toilet facilities while also reiterating the socio – economic and developmental organization’s commitment to the rehabilitation of another structure as pledged when the Chairman visited the school after the ceiling collapsed.
“It is a very laudable and commendable initiative by Asipa Kaoli Olusanya. This shows that he is a true educationist that is not only interested in creating conducive academic environment for the children of the rich but also fully interested in making children of commoners too have access to good education”, Mr Erogbogbo said.
“His intervention is not that new because he has been doing that over the years. He has been involved in building block of classrooms in Ikorodu North LCDA and sponsoring scholarship for many students at Owode and Ibeshe among others.
“As you know that I visited the school following the reported case by THE IMPACT of unfortunate incident that happened last year and during the visit, I promised that IKODASS will rehabilitate one of the structures that the body facilitated its rehabilitation some years back but now in a very bad shape.
“We are still very much committed to it and that is a major project for IKODASS this year. We are going to be raising fund and mobilizing towards putting the structure in good shape and providing additional classrooms for the pupils”, Mr Erogbogbo assured.
