OGSG denies abandoning dilapidated school in Ilishan town

Ogun State government has denied abandoning a school with dilapidated classrooms located in Ilishan Remo area of the state.

Great Achiever Magazine reports that the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, in a press release stated that the attention of the state government has been drawn to a viral video of a school with dilapidated classrooms in Ilishan Remo.

 Somorin said: "While it is not in our character to make unnecessary noise about the achievements of this administration, it is important to point out that our approach has been deliberate, methodical, systematic, and progressive to meet the challenges of public education in the 21st century". 

 He noted that the school in question is one of over 1000 projects already slated for commencement during the long vacation, adding that, specifically, it is Number 79 in the list and advertised for rehabilitation and reconstruction since November 2022.

The CPS said the bid was opened on the 4th of January 2023, and all things being equal will be ready before the new academic session.

"This is the 2nd in the series of public schools' rehabilitation embarked upon by this administration. In the first phase, 960 public primary and secondary school buildings were either renovated or outrightly rebuilt.

"The incumbent government has also prioritised decongestion exercise to make learning and teaching much easier across the 236 wards, as can be attested to by our signature yellow roof revolution in both our health and academic facilities. 

"It should be recalled that public school students sitting on bare floors in classrooms due to infrastructural decay predates the Abiodun-led government, hence the State of Emergency imposed from day one of this government, in this important sector.

"The current administration has invested heavily in improving infrastructure in public schools in the last three years. Not only has the government rehabilitated and renovated 960 classrooms across the state, it has made provision for 25,000 tables and chairs to reduce and cushion the effects of shortage of furniture in schools. This quarter, another batch of 10,000 tables and chairs has been distributed to public primary and secondary schools in the second phase, just as we are recruiting 5000 teachers to the global standard of not more than 40 pupils to a tutor".

Somorin further disclosed that there has been a 120 percent increase in running cost for public primary and secondary schools in the state, while schools have also been upgraded and recategorized in a new initiative called the Flagship School initiative.

"Once again, we reassure the good people of Ogun State of our unalloyed commitment to fulfilling the mandate of service delivery by God's grace", the CPS concluded.