Obasanjo spends 15m on ancestral community school

By Kolawole Olayinka, Abeokuta

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo spent about N15million during the 2021-2022 school session on academic and infrastructure needs in a local grammar school at his ancestral home in Ibogun Olaogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. 

Coordinator of the Ibogun Olaogun project, Chief Wole Adebayo stated this at the 2022 Ibogun Olaogun Day celebration. 

Adebayo acknowledged the support of the former President on the development of the town, declaring that such has been tremendous and worthy of emulation.

“We shall continue to always appreciate Baba for his love and affection for this town. He has spent over N10million on the educational development of our new Grammar school. This is apart from the N5million he spent on construction of desk and chairs for the school. Our target now is for the establishment of the school laboratory and other amenities for successful use of the pupils,” Adebayo said.

Earlier, President of Ibogun Olaogun Community Development Association, Chief Olatunji Okunade hinted that the continuous increase in the number of students necessitated the need to embark and completed the phase 3 of the school building project, which included the ground floor of eight classrooms of a story building. 

Okunade used the opportunity to appeal to the state government to upgrade the health centre in the town to General Hospital to effectively meet the health care responsibilities of the 36 Ibogun communities.

He also restated the call on Governor Dapo Abiodun on the need to rehabilitate Ifo/Ipake road, which has been in a deplorable condition over the years.

The new Olowu of Owu and Paramount ruler of the Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola at the event, stressed the importance of community development through self-effort, saying he was satisfied with report of the situation from Ibogun Olaogun.

Obasanjo who thanked donors for the projects so far embarked upon by the community, said the health centre needed the state government attention, “as about 40 communities patronise the existing health centre, while the facility has been overstretched.”

The former president hinted that the new town hall and palace projects would be pursued vigorously, even as he promised judicious applications of donations to ensure the completion of the projects.