The Rotary club of Ibadan- Ring Road, in collaboration with Rotary Clubs from Cotonou, District 9126 and 9103, on Tuesday, donated French language textbooks and borehole to secondary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The beneficiaries of the intervention are students of Bashorun Ogunmola High School and Queens School, Apata.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Rotary Club of Ibadan-Ring Road, Bolade Ipadeola, revealed that the project had been long anticipated.
He said: “Since the inception of this year, we’ve had it in our mind that our district must definitely partner with another district and we are glad that we are able to achieve it.
“We started this plan about two to three months ago when the International Director for our club had to liaise with the International Director from the Republic of Cotonou with just one club.
“They started discussing and planning and before we knew it, another club joined till we had 15 of them, RC E Concordia, RC de Godomey, RC de Cotonou Lagune, RC de Cotonou Cocotiers, RC de Cotonou Etoile, RC de Cotonou Rive Gauche, de Cotonou NEXUS, RC E- Club de Empowerment, RC de Cotonou Ifê, RC de Cotonou Passeport les Diplomates, RC de Parakou, RC de Cotonou, RC de Cotonou Marina, RC Abomey Calavi, RCC SIKE COLOMBE, RC de Cotonou le Nautile and RC Natitingou-Tanguieta partnering and they promised to come down to Nigeria.
“The first thing we did was the need assessment of the students at Queens School, Apata, where we discovered the difficulties they face everyday in getting water, they have to trace miles inside the school to get water.
“So we decided to provide water for them which is one of area of focus for Rotary and that was why we put wealth and resources together to achieve this beautiful and laudable project.
“Then for Bashorun Ogunmola High School, where we distributed French textbooks, we discovered that the students lack knowledge in French language and because we are collaborating with a French-speaking country, this actually gave us an heads-up to distribute French textbooks to JSS1-JSS3 students of the school, so that is what inspired the project and we were able to achieve it.
“We also did tree planting, which is another area of focus in Rotary Club where we talk about economic development because we need free air and conducive atmosphere in our schools. So we had to plant trees inside Queens School which we have previously done in Bashorun Ogunmola High School in which we have achieved this morning,” she said.
She encouraged the management of Queens School to maintain the water project saying the project cost them millions.
“And for Bashorun Ogunmola High School, we distributed french textbooks, we are not giving it to these students to take home; they should keep them somewhere and use anytime they have French language classes and return then, so that other students can use them as they are coming into the school,” she added.
In his remarks, the Joint Project Chairman, Akoregnon Rodrigue said Rotary Clubs from Republic of Cotonou partner with Rotary club of Ibadan-Ring Road to donate french textbooks to the students to help improve their learning conditions.
Mrs Kikelomo Adigun; who represented the State Commissioner for Education, Professor Salihu Adelabu, thanked the Rotary Club for their gesture, adding that it will serve as great support to the vision and mandate of Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde in seeing that the state is indeed a pacesetter in all ramifications.
In their separate remarks, the Principal of Queen School, Apata and Bashorun Ogunmola High School, Mrs Ogunshina Aderonke and Mrs Oluokun Abosede Olawunmi lauded the clubs for their gesture, saying the donations would go a long way in solving the needs of the students.
