Ogun State Government to Improve Schools in Orimerunmu

The Ogun State Government has promised to look into setting up a public secondary school and fixing the current primary school in the Orimerunmu community, located in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.

The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, made this promise in a chat with PUNCH Metro on Saturday.

Earlier, PUNCH Metro reported that residents of Orimerunmu were worried about not having a government secondary school. They said this situation forced their children to travel far to Ibafo, Mowe, Magboro, and Ojodu Berger for their education.

The long trips brought transport issues and made students face dangers while crossing the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The residents asked the state government to set up a secondary school in their area and provide safer options for crossing the expressway.

During a visit to the community on Friday, residents spoke about the poor state of the only government primary school in the area. Our reporter saw that parts of Obafemi Owode Primary School, Orimerunmu, were in bad shape, with the building and roof needing urgent repair.

A parent, Mrs. Mariam Ahmed, whose child just finished primary school, said the neglect of some areas in the building has caused overcrowding. She said, "Our only concern is that the government should please help us. The building has been abandoned, which has led to overcrowding in the classes instead of dividing the pupils into smaller classes."

Another parent, Fatai Kabiru, said that part of the roof’s damage was because of activities happening on the unfenced school grounds. He noted, "The bad shape of the roof was caused partly by football activities because there is no fence around the school premises and no security. Anybody can just enter the school."

A community member, Mr. Adeowo, expressed that the school, which has been around since 1935, deserves more attention from the government. He said, "The school was established in 1935. It should have been developed more than this by now. If there is no government intervention, there will be no development. The power of the community is limited."

Ariyo Olalekan, the Secretary to the Baale-in-Council in Orimerunmu, also called on the government to fence the school and improve security. He claimed the lack of security has allowed people to steal metal fittings from the school, and football activities have harmed the school facilities.

Responding to these concerns, Arigbabu said the government plans to include the school in its program to improve school infrastructure across the state. He said, "Intervention is coming to that school. Not only that school, but so many schools we have in the action plan this year."

Arigbabu explained that the primary school has low enrollment because of many private schools in the area, which also provide secondary education. He said, "Not every community can have a secondary school. Before establishing one, we need to consider the level of patronage. The school currently has only 311 pupils enrolled, so if we establish a secondary school there, where are we going to get the students to fill it?"

He added that they would return to the community to assess its needs and check the possibility of setting up a secondary school there. He noted that providing a good learning environment remains a priority for the state government.