Ilorin
The Old Students Association of Patigi Secondary School in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara state has commended the Governor of the state, AbdulRah AbdulRazaq for the comprehensive renovation of the school, 50 years after it was established.
The Etsu Patigi, Alhji Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, who led the association, gave the commendation when the association paid courtesy visit to the governor in Ilorin on Friday.
The Etsu, accompanied by Etsu Tsaragi Aliyu Ndakpotwa Abdullahi; former Head of Service Mohammed Dabarako; and former Permanent Secretary Mohammed Koro, also lauded the governor for other ‘high-impact projects’ of the administration and urged him to keep up the good job.
“Since the establishment of our alma mater, (Patigi Secondary School) some 50 years ago, no government has done what you are doing in the area of comprehensive rehabilitation.
” We are here to commend you for the numerous things you have been doing for our communities,” Abdullahi,one of the delegates affirmed.
Dabarako, who is the Chairman, upcoming 50th anniversary’s central working committee of the association, also said the association was pleased with the renovation of the school which he said was “progressing very well.”
“It will be naïve on our part not to come and thank you for your milk of kindness,”he said
Dabarako, however, urged the government to help prevail on Aso Rock to dredge the River Niger from Baro to Jebba, to curb the perennial flooding in Patigi and Edu local Government Areas.
“For quite some time now, the issue of Hydroelectric Power Area Development Commission (HYPADEC) has been on.
“We request for your timely intervention on this matter and your magnanimity in the area of appointment of executive director to the office of HYPADEC from Edu/Patigi region, mostly affected by the flood,” he said.
Receiving the delegation,AbdulRazaq commended members for the visit, saying that the ongoing school rehabilitation was necessitated by years of neglect of infrastructure in the education sector and the near collapse of basic amenities across board in the state.
He said the 31 schools currently being renovated were the first phase of what would be continuous rehabilitation of education facilities in the state.
“What we’ve simply done is what the government should be doing.
“We are faced with several choices when it comes to the issue of renovation. We either spread the money all over (with little impact) or pick some schools and then spend what is currently available there.
” We are fixing some schools completely and some schools to have six classrooms or more rehabilitated. The nature of neglect in the education sector has been a total collapse.
“It is a tough task. We have hundreds of schools to fix, but we take it gradually. We have awarded contracts for 31 schools in the first phase and work has started. We will move to the second phase shortly,” the governor told the association.