Oil firms donate science laboratory equipment to school in Kwara community

Agbami Group, comprising five major oil companies such as NNPC, Petrobras, Statoil, Famfa Oil, and Chevron has donated a multimillion naira science laboratory complex and equipment to Comprehensive College, Isanlu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Speaking during  the inauguration of the project in Isanlu Isin at the weekend, a representative of one of the donors, Star Deep Water Petroleum Company Limited, a Chevron company, Mr. Michael Kabi, said the project was meant to improve educational standard, especially science education among students in the state.

Kabi, who said that the focus of the group was in areas of education, health and economic development, added that intervention had not been limited to oil producing areas alone as the whole country is seen as a community.

“Because it’s a global brand, best practices are deployed. Yes, Isanlu Isin is not an oil producing area, but the group sees Nigeria as a corporate entity. The laboratory is not just a structure, it is fully equipped in line with world standard.

“We have a 40-seater biology laboratory, 40-seater chemistry laboratory, 40-seater physics laboratory, fume chamber, the chemicals, standard furniture and borehole water for use of the laboratory and the community,” he said.

He also said the outcome in communities where such projects were earlier sited had been improvement in grades of science students since they see everything they are taught physically, adding that it was no longer the issue of alternative to practicals.

Also speaking, the principal of the school, Mr. Tunde  Abolarin, said that benefit of the science laboratory was immeasurable to the community and the country in general.

The principal, who said that the school was already witnessing increase in student population with the building of the structure, hoped that the school would have more science students enrolment within the next few years and attendant government attention.

“You can imagine the effect of the laboratory complex on students. Some of them are changing their vision and ambition to science based. When you translate that in future, it may turn the school to a science secondary school. Very soon, communities outside here would want their children to come to school here because of the world class facilities donated to us. We like education here. The very first secondary school, Igbomina Baptist Grammar school was built in 1963,” he said.

Like Oliver Twist, he appealed to the group of oil companies to assist in rehabilitating some of the dilapidated structures in the school, building of e-library, standard mathematics laboratory and health centre.

“We also want to be online. But for what they’ve done, we say kudos. We really appreciate and we say thank you very much,” he said.