The chairman of Ajoni Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Michael Ogungbemi, has commended the United States of America-based non-government organisation, Build a School Initiative in Africa (BASIA) for donating a building facility to Saint Stephen’s Primary School, Ayebode-Ekiti in Ekiti State, hosting pupils displaced by bandits.
The pupils were last year displaced from the town due to increased terrorism by kidnappers and killers in the area.
Speaking at the flag-off of the construction of a four-block of classrooms in Ayebode-Ekiti on Wednesday, the LCDA chairman applauded the NGO for counting the council worthy of such benefit.
Ogungbemi said the primary school was considered a beneficiary being the host to pupils displaced last year by bandits at Itake community.
He said: “This school is in dire need of facilities because it has two major schools that some pupils were displaced by bandits at Itake under my LCDA before they were relocated and this calls for provision of more classrooms due to overpopulation.
“The project was funded 90 per cent by BASIA, but our LCDA paid a little counterpart funding. It will be built to standard and the mission is to combat the rising number of out-of-school children and boost quality of education.
“We are going to provide security here. Our operation EBORRAC, police, Amotekun and local hunters will be deployed here within the 12 weeks the project will be delivered to secure the workers and the facility.”
The BASIA’s Director of Operations, Mrs Laura Udobong, said the project is to be executed in partnership with Ajoni LCDA under the operation increase Africa’s school enrolment initiative.
Udobong said: “This project was conceptualised to empower public schools in term of facilities to take children of school age out of the streets. Our mission is to improve learning and we are doing it in Nigeria and other Africa nations.
“This project is to be completed within 12 weeks. We want the government and host community to provide security for workers and also ensure that they maintain the facility after completion for better future collaboration.”
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