Festac Chapter oF National Association of Seadogs a.k.a. Pyrates Confraternity recently embarked on sensitization drive within Ibasa, a riverine satellite Town in Lagos.

The sensitization tour which was well attended, by the leaders of the community attracted large number of women and children.

Themed; ”Getting Out-of-School Children Back to Cassrooms in Ibasa_, Satellite Town, Lagos State”, the organizers says it is in line with NAS Street Child Initiative whose desire is to ensure that no child roams the street during school hours in the state.

His Royal Highness, Alayeluwa Oba Abdulafeez Oriyomi Shittu Adeyemi I, Olu of Ibasa, who also hosted the August visitors was physically present.

Others in attendance were high Chiefs, Community Leaders, parents and guardians of the community, staff of Amuwo Odofin Universal Basic Education Authority, amongst others.
One of the members of NAS, Saratoga X Deck, Mr. Martin Edenweze while addressing the gathering made it categorically clear that the Federal Government of Nigeria has legislated that every child must have access to basic education under the UBEC Scheme.

He reiterated that this scheme legislates that every child must be provided with nine years of basic education – six years of primary school and three years of junior secondary school. He maintained that this legislation has even criminalized non compliance to this policy directive of government.
He encouraged parents to take advantage of this opportunity and the gesture of government to give their children and wards basic education which is necessary at this time of nation building.

In their response, the leaders in the area reiterated that it’s only one primary school in the community that was established in 1958.

The Baale of the area,
Chief Tolani Modiu, who corroborated this also complained that, there is no secondary school in the community but only the primary school that was fenced by the Lagos state government in 2001 adding that children in the secondary school in the area go to other communities where there are secondary schools to study.
In his words, “The children in secondary schools go to schools outside the community. They are very enthusiastic about education/schooling. This is evident by the way they crowd at the waterfront early in the mornings on school days and mount engine-powered canoes to the bordering Satellite Town, where they attend government owned secondary schools which are located over 30km away from the shorelines of the community. The major occupation of men of the community is fishing while that of the women is mat weaving and smoking fish. The cost of sending one child to school in a day is over#3,000.00.The parents are over burdened with this cost due to their low income level.The residents of the community insisted and pleaded that they will like the government to build a secondary school in the community”.

He explained further.
The risk associated with the children crossing the water with local boats every morning to attend secondary schools however was raised but Amuwo Odofin Education Secretary Representative advised the community that the first step is to provide a land and then draw the attention of Lagos State Government saying that, Education Authority currently has a project titled Project Zero that employs community members to patrol the community and identify children who are not able to go to school and equip them to return to class rooms.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of School Based Management Committee, (SBMC), Sarah Safiu, stated that their organization acts as community police which identifies Basic Education school age children who are roaming around during school hours, and provide them with the basic needs to get them back to classrooms.

Mr. Obinna Chukwukere, the leader of Saratoga x Deck, on his own part remarked that all the issues raised were noted and will be documented for onward transmission to the government through NAS.