…impacts over 700,000 pupils, 1,665 primary schools across Nigeria
other necessary materials. It also offered academic rewards for the Best Students through Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition to reward best students in the Country.
Confirming the educational interventions extended to the communities, Mr. TajudeenAkintokun a resident of one of the host communities in Ewekoro, Ogun State, noted that the building solutions company’s interventions go beyond primary school building construction but also include that of secondary school buildings in the community.
“We can’t thank Lafarge Africa enough, if we count all they have been doing for us in education in the last 15 years, you will know that they have saved lots of pupils and students from being dropouts. Apart from what Lafarge is doing for our pupils at the primary schools, we asked them for classrooms in one of our secondary schools here in Ewekoro and they are already constructing the classrooms for us.
“They have told us that they are introducing free basic but core textbooks for our pupils in primary schools in all the 12 communities under Ewekoro Lafarge Africa’s Communities and we have also been told that they would distribute uniforms at no cost to our pupils at the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic calendar”, he said.
Also, Comrade Dauda Sekoni, one of the youth leaders in Ewekoro community stated that Lafarge Africa did not only provide school uniforms for the pupils but his son was among those empowered economically through the award of contracts for the sewing of the uniforms for the pupils, saying such an effort would also boost the local economy and create wealth for the youths.
In his reaction, Alhaji OloyedeSakibu, another leader in the Ewekoro Community, advised Lafarge Africa Plc and the Ewekoro Community R Committee (CRC) on Lafarge Africa’s CSR Intervention Scheme to cover more of the less-privileged in the provisions of educational materials, especially to Primary schools, saying pupils that are given interventions in some cases are the sons and daughters of the haves in the community.
“Yes, it is true that Lafarge Africa is doing almost everything we ask of them, from education, health interventions, skills acquisition, elderly care, community development projects to farmer support, youth empowerment and others, but for the distribution of school uniforms and educational materials, I want Lafarge Africa Plc and the Ewekoro CRC to be wary of distributing these very useful materials to the sons and daughters of the haves at the expense of the haves-not, more of the less-privileged children should be covered in the distribution of all these materials”, he noted.
Speaking on the interventions in education, Head, Sustainable Development & Brand Communications, Lafarge Africa Plc., TitilopeOguntuga, said “this is fueled by our commitment as an organisation to building the capacity of the people, particularly students and institutions in the community while ensuring we leave a positive impact on public school pupils in the country.”
“At Lafarge Africa, we believe in the power of good quality education and we are focused on sustainable initiatives that will secure a brighter future for young Nigerians, leave an enduring footprint within our host communities and impact generations in a sustainable manner.” She added.
