Press Releases

Fashola Calls For More Funding For Education In Nigeria
• As Lagos honours supporters of State’s public schools

Sep 2, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Wednesday called for more funding for Education in the country saying without reliable human resource capacity, all nature’s gift will come to naught.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island venue of a Corporate Social Responsibility Awards/Breakfast Meeting with partners of the “Support Our Schools” initiative, said this has become expedient in order to secure both the present and the future generations of the country.

The Governor, who recalled a similar meeting with stakeholders about a year ago, argued that the security and maintenance of all the investment being made by both public and private organizations in security, roads, water, transportation and other infrastructure will depend on a well educated and motivated human resource capacity, adding that the need becomes even more urgent as the present generation of leaders approach their exit point.

“Who will produce water for us to drink when we can no longer work? Who will guard this City-State and the nation when we exit the stage? Indeed, who will have the knowledge to manage your pensions and your investments that you have worked for all your life to build up? Who will build the roads and keep those roads built and maintained on which you can drive all of the fancy cars that you acquire? Who will manage the air traffic so that the private jets we have all acquired do not crash mid-air?” the Governor queried, pointing out that all would depend on a well educated next generation

Thanking the individuals and organizations who have already responded to the State Government’s call a year ago to support the public schools in the State, Governor Fashola, however, said more needs to be done by way of more responses as a result of ever increasing population and responsibilities of the State.

“It is clear that with an increasing population, a population that was 17, 750, 000 in 2006, in spite of what the official counters say, and which is growing at the rate of 3 per cent minimum annually, we are getting closer to 20 million and clearly we are heading towards the 25 million mark which was predicted by the UN for 2015”, the Governor said

According to him, “Today, we have to manage 1, 030 primary and 605 secondary schools. They are not enough and we will certainly need more to address the challenges that will be posed by the increasing population”, pointing out that this is what the Mega-City status has conferred on Lagos.

Governor Fashola, who explained that the Mega-City status is a benchmark by the United Nations that cities that attain the 10 million population and upwards become classified as Mega-Cities, added, "Mega-cities mean more people and more people mean more water demand, more refuse generation, more demand for classrooms, more demand for roads and transportation, more demands for healthcare and so on",

"So it is not my wish to be a mega-city Governor, but there it is. Lagos had become a mega-city when we were all not looking and it is growing in leaps and bounds", he said, adding, "The consequences of that is that no government, on her own, can ever meet all the needs of her people whether it is in healthcare, transportation, education or any other sector, What we always have is a very rich and carefully blended mixture of public and private Healthcare, Transportation, and Education and so on".

Citing the Christian and Muslim missions as the biggest partners of Government in the Education Sector, Governor Fashola said the Support Our Schools initiative expands the traditional frontiers of support to the public at large, the public-spirited people and private organizations who do not have a platform for engagement with the public schools,

"Contrary to what the cynics will have you believe, this is a journey with clear road map to achieve human, institutional and infrastructural reform, including the reversal of about three decades of set-back and to transform it to an irreversible push to prosperity and development through the rebirth of Education", the Governor said,

He lamented that in spite of the rich and abundant mineral resources with which Nigeria is blessed, the level of intervention of Nigerians in the exploitation of the resources remains abysmally low, adding, however that, given the opportunity, Nigerians would become world beaters as already manifested in the areas where they have excelled as a result of available opportunities.

"Our responsibility as a government is to ensure that the environment in which these young people express their talents and can achieve their potentials exist", Governor Fashola said adding that the Government recruited 1, 500 teachers for secondary and technical colleges across the State last month,

Describing the audience as "our major development and stake-holding partners", the Governor declared, "As we honour those who have invested in the future of our State and our country, I dare reiterate that the window of intervention in all our public schools remains open. I urge you to reach out and open the window if you have not already done so, I urge you to open it for the first time if you have not and share the experience of somebody who is also similarly inclined",

He assured the intending donors of a fast and efficient processing of their applications pointing out that the Government has set up a Ways and Means Committee across the senior management and medium management levels of the entire public service to make things work.

"We have set for ourselves a 48 hour deadline to deal with any file that passes through any officer's table in the public service. We know that it is a journey but we also know that it is achievable”, adding, "We have started that journey and we will transform the face of the Public Service in Lagos State"

Expressing deep and profound appreciation" to all those who have supported the initiative, the Governor declared, "I believe that those who share the vision of giving back to the society would contribute as part of their personal and corporate social responsibility to the educational development of Lagos State and ultimately the future leaders of this nation, Nigeria".

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, and Chairman of Toyota Nigeria Limited, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, said although the occasion was organized to give recognition to those who have contributed to the Support Our Schools initiative the project is an on-going one, adding that those who help must continue to do so.

Chief Ojo, who promised that his company will continue to support the initiative, implored others to do same adding, "I am happy to see the work this gentleman, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), is doing in Lagos. He deserves every support. I believe that everyone should give him every support, I am talking about the areas where you all benefit and that is Education and Sound Education should be given to our children".

Earlier in her welcome address, the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan said the occasion was organized to show appreciation and commend all donors in their understanding that the provision and funding of quality education is a task that cannot be undertaken by the Government alone.

The Deputy Governor, who described Education as the only key to national development, declared, "Seated in this hall today are not only Captains of Industry, Bank officials, Non-governmental organizations, members of various religious bodies and old students, but Visioners who understand the important role of Education and share in the vision of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola-Ied administration", and prayed that God would continue to prosper them so that they will continue to support the initiative.

Those given Awards were in three categories of those who have intervened in public schools to the tune of up to N5 million, those who have intervened up to the tune of Nl0 million and above and those who have intervened up to N50 million and above. They include the Lagos Empowerment and Resource Network (LEARN) initiated by the First Lady of Lagos State Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Rescue Education Foundation, Chief Ade Ojo, Nigerite, Otunba Yomi Ogunlusi, Etisalat, MTN Nigeria Limited, Chief Mrs. Sherifat Kola Daisi, LASACO Assurance, Fountain of Life Church, among others.

Also present at the occasion were the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat, Mr. Steven Evans, Deputy Chairman Action Congress Lagos State, Alhaji Safiriyu Abiodun Sunmola, members of the State Executive Council, Senator Ganiyu Solomon among many dignitaries, Captains of Industry, Religious Leaders, and other top government functionaries.