By John Odunjo
The Chairman, Ajoni Local Council Development area, Ekiti State, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, has said that a second term for him through the December 2 Local Government election in Ekiti State would afford him the opportunity to come up with more far-reaching developmental programmes in all spheres.
Ogungbemi, who took pride in his achievements in office during the first term, assured that the area of human development from the elementary level would to receive great attention.
The chairman, who spoke during the inauguration of a block of four classrooms donated by Build a School Initiative in Africa (BASIA) and Ajoni LCDA at Saint Luke’s Primary School, Esun Ekiti, said he would not relent in promoting and advancing educational excellence among pupils/students in the area.
Ogungbemi stated that his administration had pioneered ‘Ajoni Educational Endowment Scheme’ to advance educational excellence among the school pupils, where Ayiga Prince, an indigent but academically sound pupil of Fiyinfolu Secondary School, Oke Ayedun Ekiti, was the first beneficiary of this lofty policy.
“He (Ayiga Prince), won the Ajoni Spelling Bee Competition, which gave him the privilege to act as a One-Day Chairman of our LCDA and to enjoy scholarship throughout his secondary education”.
The chairman said, “The purpose of the Spelling Bee Competition is to promote and enhance spelling skills among our pupils/students. It provides a platform for individuals to showcase their spelling abilities and demonstrate their mastery of the English language. Spelling bees also cultivate a competitive spirit, encourage learning and foster self-confidence in participants.
“By participating in spelling bees, the pupils/students develop their vocabulary, phonetics and word recognition skills. These competitions require intense preparation, including studying word origins and linguistic patterns, which further enhances their language skills. Spelling bees also encourage participants to improve their writing skills, as they need to understand words, their meaning, and their correct spelling”.
On sustenance, he said, “My administration is committed to promoting and advancing educational excellence among our pupils/students. So any policy and programme aimed at promoting education will surely enjoy our support”.
Ogungbemi said the international standard school project would offer comfort to children for them to embark on their educational journey.
He described education as the pivot upon which every society stands and flourishes, revealing that the primary cadre of education holds a special place in shaping the future of children.
He said, “This is a new model introduced to elementary/primary school buildings in Ekiti State. I would like to extend my appreciation to BASIA team for the productive partnership it has established with us, in order to reduce minimally the out of school children in Ajoni LCDA and by extension, Ekiti State at large”.
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, represented by his deputy, Chief Mrs Monisade Afuye, lauded the partnership between Ajoni LCDA and BASIA which culminated in the school project.
Oyebanji said, “Let me at this point commend this NGO and Ajoni LCDA for their partnership that has brought development to the education sector. I know that the NGO had earlier built a block of four classrooms at Saint Stephen’s Primary School, Ayebode Ekiti.
“I am convinced that other Local Governments can also extend hands of partnership to private sector to complement what our government is doing in education because the project we are commissioning today will add value to scholarship and humanity in general.
“Let me appreciate the donor and to also appeal to other interested private organisations to key into our transformation agenda. We are ready to partner you and our doors are open to investments in any sector of your choice in the state,” the governor said.
The President of BASIA, Dr Victor Ukorebi, said the school building gesture was to reduce out of school children in Nigeria, which UNESCO put at over 20 million, which he described as disturbing and a threat to the future of the country.
Ukorebi said, “We have a lot of work to do to put our children back to school. We still need over 20,000 schools to accommodate out of school children in Nigeria. We must all make our impacts felt. The war against illiteracy must be total”.
