RESIDENTS in the Ebute Metta (West) of Lagos Mainland Local Government have kicked against the move by the Lagos State House of Assembly to influence the relocation of the construction of a senior secondary school which was approved to be built in the district by the governor.
Lagos State House of Assembly, chairman, House Committee on Education, Honourable Owolabi Ajani, announced at the seventh annual stakeholders’ meeting held at the Lagos Mainland Local Government secretariat that the proposed school which was earlier scheduled for construction in Ebute Metta (west) is now to be built at Oyingbo.
Responding to a question by the traditional head of the community, Ajani assured stakeholders of the readiness of his committee to push for the relocation of the secondary school to Oyingbo.
Registering his displeasure on the development, chairman, Ijero/Sonola Community Development Association, Mr Babalola Thomas, said residents had been agitating for the senior secondary school for many years before it was approved by Governor Sanwo-Olu.
Mr Thomas stated that in terms of public infrastructure, Ebute Metta (West) was marginalised while querying the rationale behind the concentration of developmental projects in one part of the district while other parts are neglected.
“Many developmental projects are concentrated at Oyingbo but here in the Ebute Metta West, there is no public Senior Secondary School here for our children to attend; we are completely against the relocation. We therefore appeal to the Lagos State government and the Ministry of Education to implement the already approved construction of the school to be built in the West part of the Mainland of Lagos state,” he said.
Chairman of Ojo Oniyun CDA, Mr P.C Okafor also rejected the planned relocation, noting that Ebute Metta West, is the best location for the construction of the proposed senior secondary school.
He added: “Otumara is the best place for the construction. Our community is peaceful and we have the space. The foundation that was laid for the senior secondary by the administration of the Lateef Jakande in 1983 is still there till date. They can make use of that.
“Why the choice of Oyingbo? Why is it that every developmental project is taken to Oyingbo? I cannot picture anywhere in Oyingbo that is fit for the construction of the proposed senior secondary school. Government should give us this school at Ebute Metta (west) to maintain equity because Oyingbo has more than enough senior secondary schools.”
Earlier, Nigerian Tribune had reported that the state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said that teams from the Ministry of Education and the Surveyor-General’s Office had visited Otumara community only to discover that the land earmarked for the construction of the school had been converted to a market and the government asked the community to provide an alternative but it had refused to provide one.
He said: “There is a feud; there are factions in the community. Some of the community members said they wanted a market and not a school. Unfortunately, those who didn’t want a school are in the majority.
The government then asked them to go back and reach a consensus on the matter, saying ‘once you are ready, you can call us, we will do it for you. It is in our plan but you go and agree among yourselves.’ So, the problem is not from us. They have not been able to provide an alternative; the community leaders are divided.”
Responding to this, chairman, Otumara Community Development Association, Mr Abass Ishola, said there are no factions or any in-fighting among residents and the ruler in the community.
He added, “Our community is peaceful and there is no feud among the residents. We have one traditional ruler in our community therefore there is no dispute. We have been agitating for a senior secondary school for many years before Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu finally acceded to our demand. I see no justification for its relocation to another district where there are many public senior secondary schools already and we don’t have any one here. Something must be done urgently by the government to prevent this from eluding us.”
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