A transport mogul and the co-founder of the Godwin and Patricia Okeke Foundation, Sir Godwin Okeke, has said that he built digital classrooms and dormitories for no fewer than 8,000 people with special needs in Anambra to give them a sense of belonging and enable them to have access to quality education.
The classrooms, dormitories and vocational centres were equipped with modern learning facilities to accommodate no fewer than 8,000 persons at the Special School for the Deaf in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra State. The school was established in 1860.
Okeke, who spoke to journalists shortly after handing over the structures to the school authorities, said he and his family took it upon themselves to invest in the less privileged through the gesture to offer them an atmosphere for conducive learning.
He encouraged other wealthy individuals in the society to come out and invest in the less-privileged, particularly, people living with disabilities.
He noted that alongside his wife, Patricia, with the support of their children, he has been helping vulnerable people in and outside Anambra State for the past 10 years.
He said, “I, my wife, and my children took it upon ourselves to invest in the less-privileged and people with special needs by building these dormitory and classroom blocks for their conducive learning.
“Also, as part of celebrating my 75th birthday and my wife’s 70th birthday, we both decided to build and donate this edifice to the school, owned by the Diocese on the Niger (Anglican Communion) Onitsha, to encourage them.
”We did this work just to encourage other well-to-dos in society to come out and invest in the less privileged, particularly, people with disabilities living among them.
“We are happy doing this and we will continue to do this, hoping that God is the one that will pay us back. The foundation decided to build this edifice just to assist people with disabilities.
“I have also given out over N30 million in cash to the less-privileged and the elderly, yet we are ready to do more. And, my wife and I and my children are doing all this to tell the world that such people need help and let the rich start assisting the poor and the people in need.
Speaking during a sermon in a thanksgiving service to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Bishop of the Niger at All Saints Cathedral Onitsha, Rev. Father Owen Nwokolo, described Okeke and his wife, Patricia, as two people who dedicated their whole lives in serving the less privileged.
The Bishop thanked God for them and prayed that God would continue to bless them.
In her address, the Principal of the School, Felicia Agu, while appreciating the foundation for the kind gesture, said the structure equipped with learning facilities is for boys and girls, respectively.
Agu also noted that facilities for practical training, payment of N30,000 incentive as motivation for the entire staff of the school and compilation of SSCE students for the year 2023 were part of the official commissioning.
Speaking earlier, the Programmes Development Manager of the Foundation, Tobechi Onwubuche, said the classrooms and dormitories were specifically designed to address the unique needs of students with hearing impairment and other disabilities.
Onwubuche added that the edifice will save the students the challenges of long-distance walking to school and the high cost of transportation, which forces them to attend school two or three times a week, thereby missing classes.
He said, “It is estimated that there are 8,000 persons with hearing impairment in Anambra State. Special School for the Deaf, Odoakpu, Onitsha, is managed by both the Anglican Mission and the Anambra State government.
“This edifice will save 40 to 50 per cent of the students the challenges of long-distance trekking to school due to poverty and, the high cost of transportation, which forces them to attend school two or three times a week, thereby missing classes.
“Students with hearing impairment are vulnerable to being hit by cars due to limited ability to hear car horns. Lack of assistive technology devices to aid their learning and digital skills.
“The dormitory will reduce travel time and transportation costs to school, dedicating more energy to learning, and minimise risks associated with daily long walk to school. They will have uninterrupted education, and attend classes every day, fostering consistent learning and growth and enabling them consistently benefit from STEM education, and creative skills offered by an NGO.
“With the dormitory, daily access to education for students with hearing impairment is assured, which will unlock their potential and build a brighter future for the students.”
He revealed that a section within the classroom block will be equipped with assistive technologies like E-readers, computers and tablets with speech recognition software, Text-to-Speech, Progress Monitoring Software, etc.
The GPO Foundation is owned by the Okeke and his wife.
