Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Edo State government has served notice that it would demolish private buildings on land reserved for public schools without compensation, advising owners of such buildings to voluntarily remove them.
Governor Godwin Obaseki gave the summation during the 25th Anniversary of the 1994 Class of St Paul Anglican Grammar School Igarra Old Boys Association.
Obaseki, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Jimoh Ejegbai, said “Those who have encroached on school land should remove them otherwise they will be treated like those who encroached on the Benin technical College land.”
The governor said: “It is either they removed their buildings or they will be fenced. The treatment will be meted not only to those who encroached into the Anglican Grammar School Igarra land but also all other government schools across the state. All those who have built should either abandon the land or they will be fenced in during the construction of the perimeter fencing of the schools.”
The National Coordinator of the Old Students Association, Bolade John said a N5 million-fund has been set to engage teachers in the school.
Speaking to journalists after the event, Chief of Staff to Governor Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele who is a member of the set said “We use the opportunity of the 25 years anniversary of the 1994 set to come together to celebrate 25 years of leaving the school. It was an opportunity for us to review the challenges being faced by the school and what we can do to support and also join forces with other sets and the national body.
“It has been brought to our attention that the school has been bereft of high quality teachers and government has not recruited teachers in recent times so in addition to supporting the school’s inter house sports competition in 2018, we have launched a N5 million Fund to start a volunteers teachers programme where teachers would be recruited to come and fill the gap and teach the students on science subjects particularly Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology and we will put them on equivalent of N-Power monthly salary. We intent to grow that fund from time to time. There are then we were able to raise N2 million from friends and well-wishers who honoured us with their presence.”
High point of the event was the conferment of honour on Governor Obaseki, Dr. Ade Elempe and former teachers of the college.
