By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated six furnished classrooms, an administrative block, toilet facilities and a solar-powered borehole system to Junior Secondary School, Baupma, Abuja.
The humanitarian intervention also included 120 three-in-one student desks, office tables and chairs for the school’s administrative staff.
The Kubwa Stake President of the Church, Ifeanyi Agiriga, who handed over the facilities on Thursday, said the project was initiated following an appeal by a teacher at the school, Mrs Eno Umana.
Agiriga said the intervention fell under the church’s humanitarian programme on self-reliance and education.
According to him, the church conducted an independent verification of the school’s needs before securing approval and funding for the project.
“The Humanitarian Department of the church helps respond in five key areas: Emergency response, Clean water and sanitation, Food security and nutrition, Healthcare and mobility, Self-reliance and education.
“So this project falls under the self-reliance and education goal of the church.
“And because it met the criteria and the standards required, we got the approval and the funding to fully commence this project.”
Agiriga said the intervention was aimed at improving the learning environment and supporting the educational development of the students.
He noted that individuals, organisations and communities had roles to play in supporting education and promoting the wellbeing of society.
The Mandate Secretary for Education in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Danlami Hayyo, commended the church for the intervention.
Hayyo, represented by the Acting Chairman, FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Rabo Nsu, said the project was a demonstration of the shared responsibility of government, faith-based organisations and other stakeholders in providing quality education.
He urged the school management and community to protect and maintain the facilities to ensure their sustainability.
He also said efforts would be made to address some of the school’s remaining needs, particularly fencing.
The Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Mr Joshua Musa, represented by his Chief of Staff, Tukuru Daniel, said the intervention was a reminder that government could not provide every needed facility on its own.
Musa said the council appreciated the church for making a “life-changing investment” in the education of children in the community.
He noted the challenges identified by the school and promised to explore areas where intervention could be provided, especially in the area of security and the school’s perimeter fencing.
“What we need is citizen participation at different levels.
“We need people to come together and pool resources, beyond just criticising or offering opinions, to see that they invest in building our country into what we want it to be,” he said.
Addressing the scope of the project, he noted that the contribution represented a direct investment in the future of the students rather than just physical structures.
Earlier, the Principal of the school, Mr Sikiru Akeem, said the school was established on Oct. 23, 2023, with five teachers and eight students.
Akeem said the school initially operated from a three-classroom block with limited furniture but had recorded significant growth through the support of the community and other organisations.
The principal expressed appreciation to the church for the intervention and particularly acknowledged Umana, whose efforts, he said, facilitated the partnership between the school and the church.
He, however, appealed for urgent intervention in electricity, teaching staff, classroom furniture, fencing and security.
He said the school was also affected by theft and vandalism, while the frontage had become a parking area for commercial motorcycles and tricycles, posing safety risks.
He appealed for a permanent site for the school to enable future expansion. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Oluwole Sogunle
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