Sanwo-Olu: we‘ll recruit teachers to strengthen Lagos education

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Tuesday his administration would soon be hiring trained teachers to strengthen quality education in its schools.

The governor said his administration would spare no effort to expand quality teaching to pupils in all state-owned schools.

The revelation came following the governor’s directive to the Ministry of Education to recruit trained teaching personnel and provide vital resources that would strengthen quality education across government’s schools.

Sanwo-Olu spoke at the inauguration of three key projects in Ajah, Eti-Osa Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The projects include the 110-bed Maternal and Child Centre (MCC), a 12-block classroom junior secondary school and a rehabilitated Primary Health Centre.

The state government built the Maternal Centre. Tabernacle of David, Lagos Province 46 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) financed the construction of the school and the upgrade of Primary Health Centre as part of the church’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Unveiling the school and the rehabilitated health centre, Sanwo-Olu said: “My administration is not going to walk away from its responsibility of catering for the educational needs of every child that is of school age. We will give our children the opportunity to attend quality schools that will not be too far away from them. This morning, I gave a directive to the Commissioner for Education that all schools owned by the state government be equipped with well-trained teachers that will help us to deliver quality training to our children in line with development agenda of my administration.

“The charge to the commissioner also involves the provision of basic resources that would strengthen our schools and empower them to deliver the desired results we envisage in education and manpower development.”

The governor said his administration would remain open to corporate organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and religious institutions for partnership that would be beneficial to all residents of the state. He reiterated that the government under his leadership would not shirk its responsibility in providing necessary amenities to the citizens.

Sanwo-Olu hailed RCCG for the intervention, which he described as a “progressive doctrine” from a religious institution. The Governor urged other religious bodies to take a cue from the RCCG’s intervention, stressing that government would make greater impacts with collaborations.

The Assistant Pastor in charge of Province 46 of the RCCG, Kayode Pitan, noted that the decision to embark on the projects was in response to dearth of basic education and healthcare facilities in the area.

He added that the two projects gulped N180 million, noting that school, which has 12 blocks of classroom, was completed with N130 million; the church spent N50 million to rehabilitate and upgrade the services of the Primary Health Centre.

The opening of the Eti-Osa Maternal and Child Centre, the eighth of its kind in the state, was replete with fanfare, as residents trooped out of their residents to welcome the Governor and members of his cabinet to the occasion.

Sanwo-Olu said the provision of the secondary health facility in Eti-Osa axis would reduce pressure on the Lagos Island General Hospital and save expectant mothers living in Ajah axis of the pain to travel a long distance for antenatal and post-natal care.

Also on Tuesday, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso said the most visible achievement of Sanwo-Olu administration in the first 100 days in office is the disappearance of heaps of garbage on major streets.

He spoke at a news conference to roll out activities to mark Sanwo-Olu’s first 100 days in office.

He expressed delight at the modest achievements so far recorded by the administration.

“The most visible impact of the course of action this administration has taken so far in respect of the environment is the disappearance of heaps of garbage on major streets and highways across the state,” the commissioner said.

He promised that government was going to be more scientific about dumpsites.

According to the commissioner, the  first 100 days of any elected public official represents a significant milestone, adding: “For any visionary leader who wants to leave an indelible mark in the sands of time, the first 100 days in office are not only significant, but could be quite epochal. It sets the tone and course for any new government.

“What happens during this period is akin to what a builder does preparatory to the construction of a structure. Any slip at this stage could spell doom for the building.”

He assured Lagosians that the administration would keep expending on the implementation of its THEMES agenda and the Executive Order signed by the governor within hours of assuming office.

On assessment of his administration so far in office, he said: “We are leaving the assessment of performance in the last 100 days to the judgment of the good people of Lagos.”