CitiBank, DFID Empowers Lagos Primary School
The Computer Room
About three paths lead to Ikoyi Nursery and Primary School – a public school domiciled at Osborne Road in Ikoyi axis of Lagos State, Nigeria. During the raining season, two of these paths are spots to cause students of the school to get excited as they gingerly perch on stones placed in the middle of the ‘mini ponds’ leading to their school hoping not to fall in the murky stationary water. These paths are pointers to how developed the school infrastructures are.
Saturday 22nd June, 2013 however changed the lot of the school which was founded September 26th 1980 thanks to an intervention occasioned by the Global Community day and championed by Citibank Nigeria in responsible partnership with the UK Department for International Development, DFID. The Saturday event was the culmination of a project that started weeks earlier which involved meeting with stakeholders in the community Ikoyi Nursery and Primary School is located and the eventual choice of the school as the project for Citibank’s Eighth Annual Community Day.
The moral failures of government to single handedly continue to provide quality education and matching quality infrastructure has continued to attract support in form of Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. Speaking at the Event, Omar Hafeez, Managing Director and CEO of Citibank Nigeria Limited highlighted that ‘the initiative is part of a global effort to provide educational aid to the school while also helping with a couple of upgrade work.’ According to Omar, ‘more than 60,000 citi volunteers across 95 countries around the world are also doing the same thing simultaneously; participating in projects that make real differences in the lives of their neighbours.’
Mr Omar Hafeez, Md and CEO of CitiBank cutting the Ribbon
Mr Sina Fagbenro-Byron, Regional Coordinator of DFID while commending the smart support to primary education by Citibank also suggested that others businesses should ‘give thought to their CSRs in the Nigerian development context by knowing the environment they choose to work; work with appropriate NGOs with specialised knowledge; identify the local development support they want to adopt and determine what percentage of resources they want to expend on it’ amongst other suggestions. He equally noted that he was privy to a yet-to-be-published report which asserts that ‘Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally at 47% with Lagos state having the lowest.’ He further emphasised that ‘there is need for more businesses to go the Citibank way and development should be done in a way that affects people’s lives.’
Citibank undertook total upgrade work of Ikoyi Primary School by repainting it, refurbishing the school’s borehole unit, providing white boards for the school and initiating a computer learning room in the school with 4 computer sets, printer and other necessary auxiliaries. The computer room is the first in the history of the school with its current population of about 400 students. The head teacher of the school, Mrs. Felicia Yaya expressed satisfaction at the effort and observed that – ‘this is the first time since 2009 when I was posted to this school that such extensive renovation would happen.’ One of the primary beneficiaries, Fatima Hamza, 13, and in primary 4 expressing her excitement said ‘it is my first time of touching a computer.’
Present at the event were also the Executive Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Lagos SUBEB, Mrs Gbolahan Daodu, Mr. Ajaguna Adebola, also of SUBEB and the Education Secretary of Eti-Osa Local Government, Hon. Taiwo Lukman. Mrs. Gbolahan congratulated students of the school while urging the Head Teacher to ensure the proper use of the structure and furniture and protect them from being vandalised. She also pleaded that ‘the gesture should be replicated in other areas of the Public School System begging for attention.’
A Group Photograph of all Stakeholders
Ribbons were cut and the computers were presented to the school for use. The event which had several staff of Citibank, DFID and other well wishers from around present also featured cultural performance by the students while refreshment was also served to all even as the students had fun playing and sliding in the uneven elevated balloon. Expectedly the Global Community Day Program enjoyed following on social media platforms through the hashtag #citivolunteers.
_______________
Reportage by Youthhubafrica’s Blogs Editor, Sola Fagorusi
