His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
Today’s visit to Nasarawa State by Mr. President and his entourage is a milestone in the history of our beloved State. This is the first time in many years that the President of our great nation would commission any project in the State.
2. Your Excellency, this gesture has not only elated and changed the perception of our citizens as people abandoned; it has also built up confidence that we as a State are under the caring attention of Mr. President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for a better tomorrow.
3. I need to say that, despite the fundamental importance of education to the development of our society and its influence on our way of life, we lost our bearing on education a long time ago. Today, the importance of education has become a sing-song on everyone’s lips. This is obvious, considering the fact that our deeds no longer match our rhetorics. There is no doubt that over the years, we have allowed mediocrity to invade the quality of our public schools.
4. Your Excellency, today, we in Nasarawa State are, however, encouraged and inspired by your renewal of the values and heritage of our past leaders for social inclusion which education provides across all barriers of human endeavours. It is in this direction that we, as a Government in our quest to enhance social justice, have established this Model School not only for the elite, but for all citizens of the State, including the rural population. This is why we have already awarded thirty-six (36) contracts to replicate the facility in all the thirteen (13) Local Government and Development Areas of the State.
5. I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that the funding for this project was made possible through collaboration between UBEC and Nasarawa State Government.
6. It may interest Mr. President to note that what you are commissioning today, which symbolises thirty-six others across the State, is the tangible result of savings made over the past two years that we have been in office. This, indeed, is the result of our adherence to due process in the management of public funds.
7. As you will soon see, the establishment of this Model School has heralded the commencement and implementation of the new UBE-ICT education policy in our Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in the State. I believe that this will accelerate the acquisition of Computer literacy in our Schools and lay the foundation for the turn-around of the fortunes and prosperity of basic education in the State and the country at large.
8. Your Excellency, permit me to expatiate that this Model comprises 2-blocks of eight (8) classrooms each and 32 units of water-cistern toilets. It is designed to cater for Early Child-Care Development Education, (ECCDE), Primary and Junior Secondary Schools. It has common facilities like ICT, Library, Arts & Crafts, workshops, Science Laboratories and a Multi-purpose Hall among others. We have committed resources into this elaborate project in consonance with our conviction that our progress as a State cannot be swifter than our progress in education. And, because the human mind is our fundamental resource, we are determined to avail our children the opportunity to acquire the best education possible, since a child mis-educated is a child lost.
9. It is pertinent to state that, in our drive to carry everybody along and provide holistic education, we have commenced the construction of three (3) Special Schools in three centres of the State to take care of the education of children with disabilities, that is, the deaf, the blind and those with special needs. In the same vein, we have since paid our 2011 Counterpart Funds and already accessed the UBEC Matching Grants.
10. In addition, we have expanded the opportunity for Technical and Vocational Education for students with technical aptitude to further their education in our Relevant Technology and Skill Acquisition Centres. We have since consummated collaboration with the World renowned ITE of Singapore for Technology Transfer Capacity Building and Supply of Equipment.
11. In conclusion, let me on behalf of myself, the Government and good people of Nasarawa State thank Mr. President for graciously accepting to commission this Model School, even though your primary function in visiting the State today is to commission the Federal High Court.
12. We consider your acceptance of our request to perform this commissioning as a mark of honour and care for the State. Thank you immensely, sir.
13. Your Excellency, let me at this juncture crave your kind acceptance of a request for a State visit when we shall be most obliged to present to you series of projects awaiting the blessing of your commissioning.
14. While thanking you for this great honour done to me personally and the good people of Nasarawa State, we wish you God’s guidance and journey mercies back to Abuja.
15. MUN GODE.
