Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says children living in Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in Benin City must acquire education in order to be able to navigate through the rigours of life, emphasizing that failure to do so would have implication for the future.
Speaking during the inspection of the four newly constructed blocks of eight classrooms at Uhogua Internally Displaced Persons’ camp, Benin City on Thursday, Governor Oshiomhole said, “If you look at these buildings, you look at the floor, you look at the glass, everything, for the next decade, all we need is to clean and maintain, and the kids in this kind of classrooms will behave according to the feeling of their environment. They will feel privileged and act decently. Except the child decides otherwise, he has every incentive to want to go to school, to remain at school. The teacher is happy to come to work. He is proud of his office; he is proud of his classroom. He has a white board to use marker, the same marker they use in Japan, in Ameria and in United Kingdom.
“My joy is that these our children whom God has chosen to live here, that they will find that they are just as privileged as any other child. There are things we can’t do. We can’t blame their parents for most of them who have been orphaned. There is no much we can do about that, but we can give them the comfort that a child with parents can have. God will then take care of the rest.
“Nobody can say as we stand when these people will be able to return, but everyday, they are growing older. They are maturing and if they don’t go to school, they will become well-fed illiterates in our camp. Even that has implication for their future. So, we must send them to school while in camp so that they acquire education which they need to navigate through the rigours of life. And for those of them who already have basic education, they need to acquire skills. I have seen young girls here. They can go into catering, they can do sewing. After camp, they need to be able to fend for themselves. They will not need to depend on goodwill of people. They only need God’s support. So, with those skills, they can live.”
Addressing the children, Oshiomhole said, “You need education. That is why they are building this school. And now the school has been completed. I am very happy with what saw today. What remains now is to bring furniture so that the school will be opened very soon. When you start attending that school, you will have good knowledge. The school in London is not better than this one. No matter how beautiful a school is, it is useless without teachers. I will bring teachers. Anyone who completes primary education will proceed to the secondary school.”
According to him, “We have only one country, and even this unfortunate situation might be the sort of thing we need to remind us of our common humanity, of our oneness, of the fact that there are no internal boundaries. People can live anywhere, and there is always a reason why a man finds himself in another place. My hope is that these kids, when they are grow up, they don’t have to return. They can get jobs and be integrated into the Edo community, and marry here. We have enough land.”
Responding, the co-coordinator of the International Christian Centre which harbours the internally displaced persons (IDPs), Pastor Solomon Foluronsho said, “You can see the smile on my face. We are overwhelmed with joy, and we thank the Governor, our daddy for this great thing he has done which no other person has done in this country. There is a bond between the Governor and the children that has already been established”.
Edo State Government has constructed four blocks consisting of eight classrooms with staff rooms and toilets for the internally displaced persons at the International Christian Centre, Uhogua, Benin City.
Governor Oshiomhole was also at Igbinaduwa Street where he inspected the on-going storm water and road construction projects, and the residents of the area wished him well for the positive impact he has made on their community.
