The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Furniture

  • Furniture shortage delays exam

    Inadequate furniture delayed the start of the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) at Gbaja Boys Senior High School, Surulere, Lagos last Saturday.

    The examination scheduled for 11am started about half past 1pm at the Centre because the school lacked enough furniture in all its classrooms.

    Centre Supervisor, Mr Peter Chukwuma, said it was tough getting enough chairs and desks for the 239 candidates that showed up for the examination. Some classrooms were completely empty of furniture.

    The school had to improvise by allowing some of the candidates write the examination in a laboratory.

    The Nation observed a candidate who placed a plank on his lap as table for the examination.

    “They do not have enough furniture. I spent a lot of time organising even this that we got,”Chukwuma said, showing the reporter a bruise he got from moving furniture around.

    When the examination was about to start, The Nation observed that some candidates in his centre did not have customised OMR answer sheets.

    Chukwuma said it was because they registered late or missed their centres.

    Such candidates were told to answer their questions in the Question Paper booklets and inscribe their registration numbers on the booklets.

    “We had a few candidates who registered late, so they did not have customised OMR Sheets. They were allowed to answer the questions on their question papers. They would be treated as irregular candidates,” he said.

    Among the irregular candidates was a particular girl who did not complete her registration before coming to the centre. She was initially denied access to the examination hall despite entreaties by her teacher and her mother.

    The girl’s mother (who initially posed as her teacher) came afterwards to the Supervisor to assist with her daughter, saying, she did not complete the registration because the examination date clashed with that of Faith Academy.

    “Her parents asked us to stop registration for the Common Entrance because it was the same day with Faith Academy entrance examination but that was cancelled so we tried to complete this one but couldn’t,” she said.

    Chukwuma told her that registration for the examination was done 100 per cent online and that all duly registered candidates had registration numbers on their photocards without which they could take the examination.

    While the examination was ongoing, The Nation learnt from Chukwuma that the girl completed her registration and Chukwuma said he got leave from the State Examination Officer to allow her write the examination.

    “The girl later wrote the examination because she was able to complete the registration and print out her photo card.  The State Officer was aware of the girl.  While others were on break, she was busy writing. She would be treated as an irregular candidate,” he said.

    Over 75,000 candidates nationwide registered for the NCEE which is conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) for admission into Federal Government Colleges aka Unity Schools.

    The candidates wrote six subjects. The first four fell under Paper 1: Mathematics and Basic Science and English and Social Studies. While for the Paper B, they wrote Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal Aptitude.

  • Rotary donates furniture to schools

    The Rotary Club of Lagos, Palmgrove Estate, has donated 50 desks and benches to Ilupeju Junior Secondary and Ilupeju Senior Secondary School.

    The handover held at the school premises in Ilupeju.

    President of the club,  Ravindra Kamat, said the donation of furniture to the schools was aimed at helping the pupils in advancing their knowledge, adding that education is important.

    He said: ‘’It is for this reason that my team has been supporting education and health in Palmgrove and Ilupeju vicinity.

    “It is like giving back to the society, that’s the core values of Rotary.

    “Not just anyhow people, but for those who are much in need. All our project are heading towards helping the under-privileged communities and we will keep ensuring they are the ones who benefit from our various projects.’’

    He continued: “Our focus is to assist needy people within the vicinity so that we make adequate provision and ensure continuous maintenance of our projects. As you can see the benches and desks are wooden and iron structure that cannot be damaged easily and if at all, in some years the benches get damage, it just the plywood.”

    Kamat, however, urged the teachers and pupils to ensure good maintenance of the furniture, so that other set of student can benefit from it in the coming years.

     

  • RCCG donates school furniture

    The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), General Assembly, Lagos Province 58, Ginti Ikorodu Lagos celebrates her 10th anniversary with the donation of some classroom furniture to Local Government Education Authority Primary School, Igbe-Laara, Ikorodu.

    Presenting the furniture, the province pastor, Godwin Obadan, said the church setup a fact finding committee to look at schools in her environment with critical needs and discovered the school.

    “The children were all sitting on the floor to learn.  I felt compassion for the children when I saw them sitting on the ground to learn, I have heard that children sit on the floor to learn in far areas in the Northern part of Nigeria but not in Lagos. Some of the pupils aged from four to 10 were looking very dirty and their school uniforms torn; in some classrooms, the only chair to be found was the teacher’s which is also not the best,” he said.

    Sighting the chairs and tables, the children jumped for joy.  But when they learnt it would not go round, their countenance fell.

    This moved Obadan, who promised that the church would return soon with more furniture.

    ‘I think it will be good to come back since the needs of the school are much more than what we did, and make learning more convenient for the students. Structures, writing materials and other needs are needed in the school.

    We cannot preach the word of God to people, who actually need physical things that we can provide for them,’ Pastor Obadan lamented.

    In her response, the general manager of the school, Mrs Oyetunji Mujidat Moyosore, thanked the church for the kind gesture, describing it as “very timely” and charge the general public, ‘the government cannot do everything for us, we are calling on philanthropies, nongovernmental organisation and religious bodies like RCCG, province 58, Ikorodu to come to our aid as we have numerous needs, our children sits on the floor to learn, we cannot leave everything to be done by the government, we thank and pray that God will bless the church, their leaders and the ministry,’ the head of the school said.

    The chairman of the parent’s teachers association, Titilola Abiodun was overwhelmed with excitement, ‘we have tried our best but it is not enough, the school is a local school and we are poor in this area, our income cannot provide for the school needs’ Abiodun said.

    The minister of education Malam Adamu Adamu had asked for a state of emergency at the education sector. He said ‘nobody than government has the moral and resource capacity to intervene promptly, substantially and sustainably in all areas of education’. Standard of learning, facilities and learning conditions have fallen and schools are producing half backed graduates and leaders. “Indeed, even among Sub-Saharan African countries, we are trailing far behind smaller and less endowed nations in terms of our investment in education. There is need for a major investment in education in the national interest,” he said.

    Pastor Olufemi Kalejaiye, who accompanied the providence pastor, said his children attend a private school that has state of the art facilities including air-condition in the classroom, school bus from home to school, Library, science laboratory, sports and music equipments. ‘When I came in here, I cried and imagined if this is happening in Lagos, we as a body will come back here to support this school’, the clergyman said.

    The church donated 20 chairs and 20 tables to the school and promised to come back with more donations to the school. The children expressed happiness and asked for more like Oliver Twist.

  • Champion Breweries donates furniture to A’Ibom schools

    As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Champion Breweries Plc, Uyo, has donated over 200 chairs, tables and desks to select schools in Akwa Ibom State.

    The schools are St. Athaneous Primary School, Nung Ukim; Primary School, Aka in Obio Imo Street and Offot Jubilee Primary School, Aka Offot, all in Uyo capital city.

    The firm’s Managing Director, Mr. Patrick Ejidoh, who led other management staff to the schools, said it was imperative for corporate bodies and concerned individuals to support governments in improving education

    Ejidoh recalled how her daughter, who was serving in the state, informed him of the pitiable state of some primary, urging him to compel some of his friends to rise to assist her in constructing toilets, and boreholes for them.

    “She pleaded that I should contact my friends to assist her in providing these amenities to the school,, which I did and she was able to give them two toilets and a bore hole of clean drinking water within the premises. On the day of the inauguration, one of my colleagues who came with us drew my attention that children between two and five years were sitting on the floor while learning.

    ‘’The following day, I started moving round the schools and when I saw the situations in the schools around us, I was moved and I pleaded with the management team that we must do something no matter how little.

    ‘’This is our widow’s mite, we implore the teachers to take good care of these facilities because if they are destroyed fast, it wouldn’t be easy to be replaced.”

    Commissioner for Education Prof Victor Inoka, said the firm’s gesture would further enhance free and qualitative education of Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administra

  • Industrialist urges govt to stop furniture importation

    An industrialist Mr. Oyemike Onaham has urged the Federal Government to curb foreign exchange wastage on furniture importation by empowering indigenous furniture producers.

    Onaham, who is the managing director of the ongoing first made- in-Nigeria furniture fair, made the call while visiting stands at the exhibition on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said the government’s empowerment with loans and grants would boost local production of world- class furniture products and effectively curb importation.

    “Government injection of fund and other policy support will open up the potentials of this multi-billion naira sector to the teeming youths for self employment.

    “The present federal administration is a responsible and serious government, I therefore, appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to facilitate the empowerment of furniture industrialists by providing special support loans and possible grants to industrialists in the sector,” Onaham said.

    He noted that furniture production business had been profitable for local and foreign companies in the country, adding that “The sector is almost still at virgin level with a huge potential for growth, employment and even exportation.”

    Onaham said: “Nigeria is one of the countries in the world blessed with amazing varieties of wood, including hard and water proof ones, which are suitable for production of dazzling and diverse furniture products for homes, offices, factories, vehicles among others.”

    He said since no one could do without furniture, it was necessary that government pays attention to the industry, noting that funds assistance and patronage by the federal, state and local governments, and corporate organisations would boost the furniture industry and make it attractive to youths. “Once there is patronage by governments as a policy, it will be easy for corporate organisations to follow suit and thereby expand employment opportunities in the sector,” Onaham noted.

    The first made-in-Nigeria Furniture Trade Fair is being organised by Baca Furniture Products Limited.

     

  • Rotary donates furniture to Lagos school

    Relief has come the way of Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School, Ifako-Gbagada, Lagos as Rotary Clubs from United States donated furniture to it.

    On the rationale behind the project, the Sergent at arms, Rotary eClub of the Southwest USA D5510,  Olaoluwa Olugbodi, said: “I went to a community school, (Ifako Comprehensive Senior High school) with the aim of donating writing materials to few students but to my greatest surprise I discovered that, according to the school scale of preference furniture is paramount to them.

    “This project is a collaboration among Rotary eClub of the Southwest USA D5510, Rotary Club of Centerville GA 6920 USA, Reno Rotary Club  USA D5190 and Sparks Rotary club D5190. As Rotary,  our contributions and support to our environment is very important because we know that government can’t do everything. Rotary Club deemed it fit to  equip 100 students of Ifako comprehensive senior high school with desks and benches to aid their learning ability. I believe that we make a life by what we give to our environment.’’

    The highlight of the events was the launch of the project by the District Governor for D9110, Nigeria, Patrick ikheola.

    The school Principal Mr James Akinto thanked the Rotary clubs for their generosity, adding that inadequate furniture was a major problem facing the school.

    He assured that the furniture would be used judiciously by the pupils.

  • Furniture for Lagos school

    Furniture for Lagos school

    The Deputy Governor of Lagos State Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule has urged the corporate organisations and all stakeholders to consider education as the best for investment in order to raise a generation of morally upright leaders for the country.

    She noted that if corporate organisations, stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians are committed to uplifting the education sector, it will help in engendering the desired quality in education.

    Dr Adebule spoke at the inauguration and hand over of classroom furniture donated by District 9110, Rotary Club of Ikeja to Ikeja Senior High School.

    The event was not just for the inauguration of the furniture but also was a platform to raise funds among the members of the club for the development of community projects and induction of some members.

    She was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education Sina Odeyemi.

    While thanking the President of the Club, Mrs Olaitan Ojuroye, the Board of Directors and all members of the Club, the Deputy Governor said: “The gesture will go a long way in complementing the efforts of Lagos State Government in providing the best facilities needed to make teaching and learning more effective in the state’s schools.

    “The area you have chosen to support the state government is very important to enhance effective teaching and learning in the classrooms. With your donation, you have complemented efforts of government and help in bringing additional ones that make it more adequate for use in the school.”

    Mrs. Ojuroye said the gesture was aimed at contributing the club’s quota in helping and improving the standard of education in Lagos State.

    She said Rotary Club would continue to render quality service to humanity by impacting on people’s lives despite the country’s economic challenges, saying it is the main objective of Rotary Club and what defines the club internationally.

    She said: “The Club regularly visit the community leaders, schools and hospitals, interview and sample their opinions on what challenges they are experiencing. Out of those they enumerated, we pick one and solve at a time.

    Through this, Mrs Ojuroye said, the club had rescued citizens from environmental challenges, involved in screening and treatments of eye, hypertension, breast cancer, sugar/diabetics and malaria/typhoid ailments.

  • Alumni donate 50 sets of classroom furniture

    Infrastructural transformation has begun at Ilupeju Senior Grammar School, Lagos State, thanks to the school’s newly established old students’ association.

    Pupils of the school, numbering  1022, along with their teachers were full of gratitude to the former  students for donating 50 sets of dual furniture for their learning comfort.

    The Principal, Mrs Elizabeth Akinola, said the association has helped solve a major challenge of the school.

    She said: “The government is doing a lot, but government cannot do it all. I give glory to God for the gesture of the alumni. We know it is not easy, it is because they put their alma mater as a priority that this is possible. We only just started meeting the alumni in March, which was the 1988 set and they immediately donated 20 sets of furniture. Now that the old students have come together as a national body, they have brought another 50 sets. This is just the beginning.”

    President of the association, Mr Idowu Oyebanjo, of the 1992 set, who was represented by the General Secretary, Mr Gbenga Odesanya of 1995 set, said the junior and secondary arms of the school needed about 800 pieces of furniture that will seat 2,400 pupils at three pupils per seat.

    He said: “We have had different sets doing one thing or the other for the school, but with the establishment of the national alumni, we will be able to leverage on the potentials of the individual set to form a synergy that will produce better results as we see today. We had the inaugural meeting of the association in March with the aim of instituting the association, but seeing the state of infrastructure in the school broke our hearts and we quickly consulted the school authority for their needs in order of priority. The furniture came top on that list among other things.”

    He noted that with the full function of the association, there are plans to seek the Corporate Social Responsibility support of companies within and outside Ilupeju as well as government and the old students to deliver the outstanding 750 pieces of furniture by their October 19 deadline, which is the school’s founder’s day. The project is expected to cost over N5 million.

    The school’s Head boy, Paul Akinlosotu, thanked the association on behalf of the school, noting that before now, the pupils had to sit on stools and tyres, while others stood in class to receive lessons.

    Oyebanjo, however, charged the school authority to open a register to keep record of students given the furniture to make them accountable and teach them maintenance culture.

     

  • Foundation donates classrooms, furniture

    Ford Foundation has partnered with a human rights group, Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER), to put smiles on the faces of pupils of Farm Settlement Community Primary School, Odogunyan, a suburb in Ikorodu.

    Last Thursday, the groups inaugurated a block of six classrooms, six toilets and a borehole. This was in addition to provision of new desks and chairs as well as erecting a perimetre fence on the two-acre land on which the school sits.

    Farm settlement Community Primary School, which has a population of about 100 pupils across diverse backgrounds, was built in 1978.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode urged teachers and pupils to make the best use of the facilities. He also pleaded with well-meaning citizens to partner with government in further lifting education in the state.

    Ambode was represented by Secretary to the State Government Dr Tunji Bello.

    He said: “I believe that you just keyed into our Adopt-a School initiative. We are very grateful for this kind gesture which is why we will call you our partners in progress.”

    The representative for Ford Foundation, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, noted that the projects were intended to enhance the quality of education in the school as well as ensure that the pupils learn in a more secured and conducive environment.

    “We are confident that the projects we are commissioning today will, to a large extent, improve the lot of teachers and pupils of the school. We therefore, want to assure you that our foundation is committed to bringing positive changes to the quality of education in public schools.”

    JODER’s Executive Director, Mr Adewale Adeoye, recalled that the project was identified by the foundation following a mention of its poor state by a staff of the foundation.

    “The best way to appreciate the laudable gesture is for the pupils and teachers of this school to ensure that the facilities are not damaged or misused so that more of this gesture can come to this school,” he added.

    The Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB), Dr Ganiyu Sopeyin, and the school head teacher Mr Olukoga Adewale extended their gratitude to the donors, and assuring them that the facilities will be well maintained.

  • Corps member renovates school, donates furniture

    Corps member renovates school, donates furniture

    A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Lateef Babatunde, has renovated a block of classrooms in Mararaba Primary School in Lafia, the state capital.

    After the renovation, Lateef painted the classrooms and donated furniture to the facility.

    The classrooms had been abandoned for years, without roof, doors and louvers.  All the chairs and desks in the classrooms had also broken before the Corps member’s intervention. The school is the only primary school serving three communities of Mararaba, Gandu and Akunza.

    •The furniture donated by the Corps member
    •The furniture donated by the Corps member

    The project, according to Lateef, gulped N352,000 and it was unveiled last Thursday in a ceremony well-attended by residents of the three communities.

    The Deputy Governor of the state, Hon. Silas Agara, represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Mrs Phoede Onje Gywado, said the Corps member’s gesture would not be forgotten, describing the school renovation as “selfless service”.

    She said: “We appreciate the Corps member’s kind gesture towards lifting the communities. This is a landmark achievement and a testimony that he is doing well in serving his fatherland.”

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, which is the Corps member’s place of primary assignment, Prof Ekanel Braide, represented by Dr Chris Echeta, said other Corps members should emulate Lateef’s gesture.

    He said: “If there are 1,000 Corps members that can replicate this kind of gesture in their places of primary assignment, the country would have been better than this. Lateef is not from this part of the country but he expends his strength, energy and initiative to develop another man’s community. He should be rewarded for the action.”

    The NYSC Zonal Inspector in the council, Felix Tomori, said the Corps member was undaunted despite challenges he faced to source for funds for the project. He urged community leaders to always partner Corps members in carrying out developmental projects.

    Lateef, a graduate of Political Science from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, said: “I am happy that God used me to solve a six-year problem facing the three communities. While I faced challenge of funding, I am able to complete the project because of my passion for education.”

    He advised Corps members to embark on life-changing project, saying they should not be discouraged by challenges.