The people of Nkwelle Ezunaka of Anambra State in South-East Nigeria have donated five brick buildings to Oye Olu Oze Primary School in the community to help create enough space and ease overcrowding in the classrooms.
News Express learnt that the project gulped N14.6 million, out of which the state government provided N6.6m while the community contributed N8m.
Speaking at the hand-over of the building on Tuesday, the President General of Nkwelle Ezunaka Community Development Association, Elder Chris Eluemunoh, thanked the state government for being part of the success story. He disclosed that the school was chosen because of its large population and to give the management and pupils a sense of belonging.
Eluemunoh stressed that the school is a community school and will remain one, promising to fund the chairs that would be used in each of the new classroom blocks.
“I am glad the building was built during my tenure as the President General of Nkwelle Ezunaka community and I want every member of this community to know that this a community school for this community. There is no plan to hand it over to anybody,” he said.
The President General further said he would appeal to Governor Obi to also build a secondary school within the school premises to ease the people of the community who travel long distances to acquire higher education after primary school.
While commending the achievements of the community under Elder Eluemunoh’s leadership, the Chairman of Oyi Local Government Area, Chief Uche Okafor, said Nkwelle Ezunaka has a lot to be thankful to God for giving them a worthy leader.
“The government will support your effort to build a secondary school within the school to enable people living around here have a secondary school close by and stop travelling far. There is no secondary school within the area, hence people here travel far for it,” the chairman said.
Okafor also promised that the school fence which fell would be reconstructed within two weeks.
On her part, the headmistress of the school, Mrs. Susan, thanked the community leadership and the state government for coming to the aid of the school. She noted that the new buildings would go a long way in providing more space for both the teachers and the pupils.
The headmistress also expressed delight at the likely of building a secondary school within the school premises, calling it a step in the right direction.
•Photo shows the headmistress with Elder Eluemunoh and the Local Government Chairman, Chief Uche Okafor.
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