Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has handed over the ultra modern 24 classrooms Gbagada Comprehensive Junior High School in Gbagada, declaring that by such investments, the state is reemphasizing the central place of education in today’s world.
The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Hon (Mrs) Adejoke Orelope Adefulire at the ceremony which took place at the school located on Jogunomi Street in Gbagada Estate added that education is a vital tool for fighting ignorance, poverty and disease as well as being a great asset in achieving technological breakthroughs and national development.
He urged the members of the community to make the best use of the facility which has been provided as part of preparation for resumption by pupils on holidays assuring that the state government would also address all infrastructural issues such as the construction of an overhead bridge to link Gbagada and Lady Lak communities in Bariga in due course.
“Education remains the best investment any society can bequeath to its citizens as an enduring legacy. It remains the powerful agent of transformation and, the engine that drives the socio-economic development of any nation. Lagos State as result has continued to be pro-active about education by investing heavily in the sector to give our citizens the best opportunities to compete globally through acquisition of the right skills and competence in our educational facilities. The determination of the Lagos State Government is to make our schools a destination for learning and work”, he added.
The governor also urged the students who are the beneficiaries to make the best use of the facilities to excel in their academics by ensuring that they properly put it into use and keep it well maintained.
“I wish to remind you that diligence, determination and resilience are strong principles of success, which must guide your attitude to your studies. You must also make use of the good opportunities being provided in this college and study hard and avoid bad company”.
“This is one way to show appreciation for the resources your government; your parents as well as your teachers have placed at your disposal by investing their treasures, talent and time to give you good education for a greater future”, the Governor stressed.
Governor Fashola appreciated the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project (LMDGP) which was given birth to on the altar of the vision to provide good governance to the people for being involved in delivering noble projects that have impacted the lives of the people positively in many ways, including with interventions in the educational sector.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye reiterated that infrastructure is a very important aspect in delivering qualitative education because the environment a student will learn, process and assimiliate information is required to be conducive.
She added that it is in view of these that the State Government has continued to improve existing infrastructure and provide the much needed ones where unavailable through the construction of classroom blocks such as the Gbagada Comprehensive Junior High School.
“Provision of laboratories, libraries and ICT centres have been on a continuous basis. We have also continued to provide for these schools as well as distributed free textbooks to the students. We have also been training and retraining the teachers”, she said.
According to the Commissioner the investments of the Government in education has been yielding results: “It is highly gratifying to note that we are already reaping the dividends of the huge investments in our students as they have been making steady progress as attested to in their WAEC results compared to earlier years”.
Also in an interview with newsmen, Mrs Oladunjoye said the formal handover is part of the preparation of the administration for resumption of pupils on September 23, stressing that as a responsive government, it is making provisions on where to put the students when they resume.
“If you look behind you, there are two other buildings that are located there. This is just in this locality alone and many more of such structures are still coming. Everyone should be rest assured that we have enough schools in this area to accommodate our pupils when they resume”, she stressed.
One of the pupils of the school, Master Koredele Nelson who also spoke with newsmen thanked the Governor and the LMDGP for facilitating the construction of the schools and adviced all pupils to study hard and refrain from destroying the furniture.
The Deputy Governor later cut the tape to formally hand over the building at the event which also had in attendance the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, senior officials of the LMDGP, members of the community and stakeholders in the education sector.
