By Dare Ojelade
For a very long time, residents of Bioyin, Ope-ewe, area of Jankara, Ojokoro, in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, have been yearning for a public primary school to take care the education needs of their children.
“Our children either have to trek kilometers to nearest primary schools in the local government or we have to pay huge sum to register them in the few private schools in the area,” Alhaji Mutiu Adetunji narrated ordeal of the residents to thegazellenews.com.
Therefore, residents’ joy knew no bounds when the member representing Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable James Adisa Owolabi informed of his success at facilitating construction of blocks of classrooms for the take off of the school to be called Ojokoro Community Primary School.
Within days, the community provided the land for the construction of the school and work began in earnest.
The project began in earnest, two federal agencies provided fund for the construction of the school buildings.
The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing constructed one block of two classrooms while the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was responsible for the construction one block of six classrooms.
For the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing project, Swatt Engineering Nigeria Limited was the contractor while Zankalik Integrated Service Limited handled the SDG project.
The two projects were completed and the residents were happy that school buildings would be commissioned and classes would commence immediately.
Thegazellenews.com gathered exclusively that the school buildings were meant to be commissioned and handed for use in May this year.
This medium can also confirm that a polarised borehole to provide water for students and teachers in the proposed school was installed, facilitated by the Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District in the Upper Legislative Chamber, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola.
But the commissioning did not take place as expected.
“Since the school buildings have been constructed, we were happy when the Honourable informed us that the commissioning will take place in May.
“However, as I’m talking to you, the school buildings are still awaiting commissioning and official handing over for use,” Mrs Hassanat Hussain, resident of Jankara in the area told our correspondent.
When thegazellenews.com visited the school compound on Wednesday, 3 August, 2022, the compound has been taking over by weeds. The compound was untidy with thick shrubs making it difficult to get to the blocks of classrooms.
When eventually our correspondent was able to get into the classrooms, they have started dilapidating: parts of the ceilings have started falling over, it is obvious that parts of the roofing have started leaking while some electrical gadgets installed have been vandalised.
A part of the compound has been turned to a refuse dump as huge heap of refuse was found in the compound while in some of the classrooms, there are traces of hoodlums meeting there to plan evil as well as serving as their hideout and den.
When our correspondent spoke with the man who facilitated the projects, Honourable James Adisa Owolabi stated that it is true that the projects were set for commissioning and that all arrangements have been put in place for its official handing over for use.
“However, when we contacted the state Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), a team was set up to come and inspect the project, and it was discovered that there were not toilet facilities in the school.
“LASUBEB stated that it won’t allow students and teachers to be learning and teaching in a school without toilet facilities. According the agency, this is unhygienic and unhealthy for both students and teachers and we all agreed that LASUBEB was right,” Honourable Adisa said.
He explained further that the current administration in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area agreed to construct the toilet facilities to complement the efforts of the two federal agencies.
“Up till now, we are still waiting for the Ojokoro LCDA to fulfil its promise. This is what is delaying the commissioning of the blocks of classrooms and official handing over for use,” Adisa explained.
The Ojokoro LCDA Chairman, Hameed Idowu Tijani, while speaking with thegazellenews.com gave a detailed history of the school.
According to him, his administration was happy when Honourable Adisa came with the news that he had been able to facilitate one block of six classrooms for the area.
“Initially, we wanted to site the school at a parcel of land acquired by the council for the construction of a junior secondary school. However, when I found out that what was on ground was a block of six classrooms, we realized that it would not serve the purpose of a junior secondary school.
“Therefore we moved to another parcel of land which had been earmarked for the primary school project for the community. We took over the land in question from Federal Ministry of Communications because their facilities was providing cover for hoodlums and their nefarious activities.
“It was on this land that the first block of six classrooms was constructed. Later, Honourable Adisa came again and informed me that he had been able to facilitate another block of two classrooms from another agency and we agreed that this should also be constructed in the same premises,” he explained.
Tijani stated further that it was when the projects are about being completed that the lawmaker came to him and informed him that toilet facilities were not included in the project and that there is need to built toilet facilities to go along with the projects to make it conducive for teachers and pupils.
“My initial reaction was how can such huge projects be conceived without thought of providing toilet facilities. We called the contractors, they said they have provided what the content of their contracts said.
“The project was a delight to us because it will serve the pupils of that community who are usually exposed to dangers while trekking several kilometres to the nearest public school, we agreed to provide the toilet facilities.
“The agreement was struck in June and because of the political activities that took place between June and July, we could not mobilize contractors to site to commence the construction of the toilet facilities.
“However I’m assuring that contractors will be mobilized and work will start on the construction of the toilets this month,” Tijani told thegazellenews.com.
However, a lot posers are still waiting for answers: one wonders how blocks of classrooms project would be put in place without provisions for toilet facilities; and how can school buildings that have not been commissioned started dilapidating within a year of construction.
These are posers for the contractors who handled the projects and the supervising agencies to provide answer for.
“It is a shame that blocks of classrooms constructed within a year have started dilapidating. I think the contractors who handled these projects need a lot of explanations to do,” another resident of the area told thegazellenews.com on Monday, 8 August, 2022 when our correspondent visited the school premises again.
When we visited the school premises on Monday, 8 August, 2022, the thick shrubs have been cleared, an indication that authorities concerned are aware of our interest in the story and are trying to put up action.
As the new school session begins in Lagos State in September, residents of Jankara area of Ojokoro LCDA will still watch as their children trek long distance to attend schools elsewhere while the multi-billion naira blocks of classrooms in their domain waste away due to the neglect of the authorities.
Video: Before The Grasses Were Cleared:
Video After Cleared:
