The son of the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland and chairman of the Shola Ladoja Foundation, Mr Shola Ladoja has collaborated with the Oyo state government to uplift the standard of education in the state by providing necessary infrastructure and teaching aids.
Ladoja, at the weekend’s flag-off of the renovation of blocks of classrooms at the Progressives Day School, Aladorin, in the Ibadan Southwest local government area, said the decision was borne out of his passion for the education sector.
He submitted that the development of the education sector should not be left in the hands of the government alone; hence, his decision to inject millions of naira into the renovation of the school.
According to him, “There is a need for the organised private sector and well-meaning individuals to partner with the state government in its bid to uplift the standard of education in the state.
“I have been to the Progressives Day School Aladorin on many occasions. The visit has afforded me the opportunity to identify the areas of need, which include the renovation of the blocks of classrooms to the standard of the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the provision of computer sets.
“The fund for the renovation of the blocks of classrooms and provision of computer sets will be sourced for among friends both locally and internationally.
“I am seeing this project as my corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is always good to give back to society.
“Aside from the fact that my dad, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Ladoja, and Senator Sharafadeen Alli were products of the school, the onus also lies on me as an indigene of the state to contribute my own quota to the development of my fatherland.
“The gesture is not for any political reason. I don’t have a flair for politics, even though my father is a politician of repute.
I have shared the vision with another illustrious son of Ibadanland, Mr Jide Aboderin, who has promised to assist in the supply of computer sets worth millions of naira to the school.
In his address, the Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Akanbi, has called on other well-meaning people of the state to collaborate with the government in its bid to uplift the standard of education in the state
Akanbi, who was represented at the occasion by Mrs K.F. Ademokoye, submitted that the gesture of the Foundation would go a long way in promoting the standard of education at the grassroots level.
Speaking in the same vein, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who is also a product of the school, promised to lend a helping hand to the successful completion of the project.
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