Amid excitement in the community, the four classrooms built by UncelSele Foundation at Makoko Children Development Foundation School and Orphanage, Ebute Metta, Lagos, were officially commissioned on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
The event, which coincided with the birthday of Sele Opuofoni, founder of Unclesele Foundation, had in attendance community leaders, educators and students, parents and well wishers, among other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Opuofoni, better known as Uncle Sele, who is also School Ambassador for Nigeria appointed by World Values Day, noted that during a usual search in Makoko to empower people for learning, it was observed that children were congested in a cramped classroom without desks and chairs at the aforementioned school.
Subsequently, the Foundation obtained 23 desks and chairs for donation to the school. However, it was realized that there weren’t sufficient space to accommodate the desks and chairs. This prompted the need to embark on the building project.
Uncle Sele noted that a considerable number of Nigerian students are not learning the basic skills they need to succeed in life, adding that Makoko as a community in Lagos is a home to many less privileged people who barely make ends meet, and the children often do not have access to quality education.
“There are a number of reasons for this, including lack of schools, lack of qualified teachers, and the fact that many children are working to help support their families rather than attending school. In addition, qualified teachers are unwilling to commute daily to the location due to poor remuneration,” Opuofoni said.
The gesture, according Preere Opuofoni, a director of the Foundation, fits into Uncle Sele’s dedication to fighting learning in underprivileged localities like Makoko, which has manifested through concrete actions.
She said: “His initiatives, such as building schools and providing essential resources for them, are testaments of his unwavering commitment towards breaking down barriers to education and empowering the underprivileged Nigerian children.”
