Nigerians seek N300m to complete school project in Togo

Neglect, bushy surroundings and decay are the tell-tale signs of once an ambitious and laudable project that has gone awry due to lack of funds. The expansive compound is barely three minutes drive from the busy West African High way linking Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and others.Palm trees, white sand and the gentle breeze indicate […]

Neglect, bushy surroundings and decay are the tell-tale signs of once an ambitious and laudable project that has gone awry due to lack of funds. The expansive compound is barely three minutes drive from the busy West African High way linking Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and others.
Palm trees, white sand and the gentle breeze indicate that you are not too far from the Atlantic Ocean. The tranquillity and lush vegetation from the near-by land are alluring, it is certainly a suitable environment for learning.
Twelve years ago, the Nigerian Community, basking in the euphoria of a befitting educational centre for their children and wards, began the structure. The late President Eyasingbe Eyadema, who had obviously shared their vision, facilitated its commencement by donating the land to Nigerians in Togo. For the nearly two million Nigerians in the country, the establishment of an International School in Lome was not just a matter of prestige but inevitable for obvious reasons.
Notably the need to address the language handicap experienced by most of the children, Togo being a francophone country, the schools both public and private are predominantly French speaking. The few that are English speaking are exclusively for diplomats and the affluent due to the demand for high tuition.
Alhaji Idris Gbadamosi, President of the Nigerian Community in Togo, gave an insight into their plight, with regard to the education of their children and wards in an interview with Daily Trust recently in Lome.
“Most of our children always go to Ghana to school. And sometimes on their way they get involved in motor cycle accidents. Sometimes we have to send them to Nigeria. But that is not good, children ought not to be separated from their parents at that tender age,” he said.
Aside the language barrier, Gbadamosi cited the allure of their children learning their culture as another underpinning factor for the conception of the project. Giving the indispensability of the project to Nigerians, the question that easily comes to mind is why the structure is in such a sorry state. This same question was directed to the president of the community by our reporter.
“We have spent over ten million CFA on the project. We obtained the fund by tasking ourselves through donations and other means. On two occasions we launched fundraising. What we realized from the fundraising events and other donations, we used to erect the fence and get the building to this level,” he said.
Handicapped by the paucity of funds, the Nigerian community has called on the Federal Government and wealthy Nigerians to come to their aid, in order to make the school a reality. Gbadamosi said about N300 million would be needed to get the project to take off first as a primary school and later they intend expanding it to a secondary school and a tertiary institution in the foreseeable future. In addition, two large hostel facilities for boys and girls would be required to accommodate the children during the academic session.
The proposed school is more than one hour drive from the city centre; hence it was necessary to make hostel facilities available, he said. Gbadamosi, who commended the current Nigerian Ambassador to the country, Ambassador Matthew Sunday Adoli, for his unwavering passion for the realization of the Nigerian International School, recounted that the envoy had sent several letters to Abuja on the matter.   Also, when President Goodluck Jonathan visited the country earlier this year, the community presented a letter to him requesting for assistance to get the project completed.
“We didn’t get any response from Abuja that is why we want to go again to see the government. We are begging the government of Nigeria and all Nigerians, who can help us so that we can complete the building,” he said. Ambassador Adoli, who is the driving force behind the renewed energy to get the project completed, affirmed that it was a commendable project that should not be allowed to die. For him the Nigerian families are going through difficult times in order to get their children in school, hence it is necessary to complete the project.