GROUP DECRY THE NEGLECT OF THEIR MAJOR STAKEHOLDER: CALL FOR INTERVENTION OF OYO STATE GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA) IN THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF SASA COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL.

Family & Community Development lnitiative (FCDI) and Endonamoo Transformation Global Initiative (ETGIN) make a clarion call on the government and general public to intervene on the deplorable condition of Sasa Community Primary with dilapidated and dumpsite situation in classrooms, vandalized wire fence and lack of maintenance which had negatively impact teaching and learning situation in Sasa Community Primary School.  

Due to negligence of the concerned stakeholders, it is regrettable that Sasa Community Primary that was established by IITA in the year 1963 had since been become that shadow of her glorious self due to lack maintenance of the school.

It is of a great pity that the learners in the school are now vulnerable to various diseases because of the pitiable environment of the school. The pupils in this school fall sick everyday while majority of them experienced health hazard such as outbreak of cholera, malaria, diarrhea among others.

The situation has gone worse that some classrooms in the school have been turned to public toilet, dumpsite while the wire fence which was constructed with the aid of an NGO (FCDI) has been vandalized  by hoodlums leaving the compound open for their activities, the classrooms are now ‘free for all’ public toilet, smokers’ garden, gangster haven and a place for all the association of bad-heads to practice and perform nefarious and barbaric activities. It is of great importance to note that these had contributed to the increase in the number of Out of School Children in Sasa Community.

FCDI as a community-based organization established by SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria in the year 2012 in Sasa Community to continue the process of child development and families support. FCDl with the support of SOS CV has intervened in the situation of the school by providing some essential amenities in the school such as construction of four blocks of modern toilets, dug well, purchased Chairs and Tables, established of the nursery section by renovating damaged classrooms and making available state of the art needs for the sections, purchased of school uniform for the indigent pupils and constructed wire fence to barred the vandalizers and hoodlums from gaining access to the school e.t.c

Dated back, it is disturbing to note that Sasa Community has been both deprived and underserved educationally, economically, socially since the community was resettled by IITA/FGN to a less than 1000acres of land from their original 2200acres of land which was acquired by the institution with the help of Federal government according to FGN gazette of 1965.

Despite this history of deprivation, the stakeholders have failed to support or used their influence to drive development to the community and the schools in the Sasa community. It is pitiable that the pupils attending the Sasa Community are now living in a dangerous situation because of bad environment of the school.

Based on this, the questions must be asked from the government and public that; how do we expect the children here to learn in this learning hostile environment? How does government plan to curb out of school children in Oyo State?

There is a saying “if you want to destroy a community; destroy their education”. It is obvious that effective teaching and learning cannot take place where there are no basic infrastructures. Quality education is important foundation for development of any society and any responsible government will focus her attention on development of education in their domain. This called for emergency and definite intervention of the Oyo State Government, Ministry of Education and State Primary Education Board.

While we commend Oyo State Government on her effort in the area of education in the last 8years in our state, we also call her attention to this oversight of the bad situation in Sasa Community Primary School.

On this note, Family & Community Development Initiative (FCDI) and Endonamoo Transformation Global Initiative (ETGIN) are using this medium to call for urgent intervention of the government and general public in the provision of enabling environment, conducive for learning to be facilitated in Sasa Community primary under the newly carved out Akinyele South LCDA area, Ibadan.

FCDI and ETGIN strongly recommend that the State government

Help construct brick fence to prevent the vandalizers and hoodlums from gaining entrance into the school, renovate the dilapidated classrooms, clear and clean the dirty that has been the cause of sickness for the pupils attending the school, provide security to watch over the school to protect the properties, complete or pull down completely the uncompleted classroom that has been standing there for years and we suggested that the school should be considered for urgent attention.  

We also call on International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to please support the school that was once their brain-child in a bid to restore lost glory of the Community Primary School, Sasa.

We also seize this opportunity to reach out to philanthropist, NGOs, donor to come to the rescue of the school by contributing their own quotas to save the lives of children in Sasa Community Primary School.

Joint Press Release by:

Com. Adedokun Caleb
Secretary: Family & Community
Development Initiative (FCDI)
08154470923

John Oluwafemi Olla
Executive Director: Endonamoo Transformation
Global Initiative (ETGIN)/ Act Hub Africa
07030658304