By Joan Nwagwu
The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, says no girl or woman should lose the opportunity to pursue education because of life’s challenges.
The first lady made the remarks on Friday, at the inauguration of the rehabilitated Alternative High School for Girls in Agboju, Lagos.
Represented by the Wife of the Vice-President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, the first lady explained that the school was established in 2007 during her husband’s tenure as governor of Lagos state.
She said the school was designed to enable girls, whose education had been interrupted by early pregnancy, socioeconomic challenges and other circumstances to complete secondary education.
“I believed then, as I still believe today, that no girl or woman should be denied the chance to reach her full potential because of life’s challenges,” she said.
She said Lagos West and Lagos East already had alternative schools, stressing the need for proper maintenance to ensure more girls benefited from the initiative.
She commended the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for renovating and equipping the school and urged Lagos State government to establish a similar school in Lagos Central.
“To the students, I encourage you to make the most of this opportunity. Take your future with determination, discipline and hard work,” she said.
Tinubu also appreciated Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, for supporting the development of education in the state.
In his remarks, Sanwo-Olu, represented by his wife, said the school was established in 2007 as Nigeria’s first second-chance school for girls whose education was disrupted.
“This ceremony means more than the unveiling of a new school; it is a homecoming,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He said the institution had restored dignity and created new opportunities for young women, many of whom had become professionals, entrepreneurs and mothers.
Sanwo-Olu said that the first lady had sustained the initiative through her Renewed Hope Initiative, expanding the school across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
“Educating a girl, as you all know, is educating a family, a community and a nation.
“Lagos State will sustain the facility and its mission while using the model to support efforts to reach more out-of-school children,” he said.
The governor urged the students to study hard, dream boldly and use the opportunities provided by the school to positively impact others.
“This school exists because people believe in your future and so do I. Study hard, dream boldly and go on to lift others,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, said the inauguration of the school provided girls with another opportunity to learn, acquire skills and build better futures.
Garba said the initiative was rooted in the first lady’s vision and aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on education and human capital development.
“A girl who dropped out of school should not be regarded as a lost cause. A young mother who wants to return to school should not be told that her time has passed,” she said.
She said UBEC had comprehensively rehabilitated the facility with infrastructure, ICT facilities, furniture, laboratories, computer facilities and skills-development equipment.
The UBEC boss disclosed that the second Alternative High School for Girls in Ikorodu was at an advanced stage of completion and would soon be commissioned.
“I urge all of you, please support the school, protect it, maintain it, and support the girls,” she said.
On his part, Dr Akin Shitu, Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said the initiative had provided hope to girls whose education was interrupted for various reasons.
Shitu said the programme had created opportunities for beneficiaries to return to learning and pursue further education.
He commended the first lady for initiating the programme and UBEC for rehabilitating the facility to provide a conducive learning environment.
“This initiative has given hope to many girls who might not have had the opportunity to further their education,” Shitu said.
The Project Consultant, Dr Remy Olukoya, said the rehabilitated school comprised two blocks with more than 26 classrooms, laboratories and vocational facilities.
Olukoya said the facilities included agricultural, physics and biology laboratories, cosmetology, garment-making, hairdressing, catering and home economics classrooms, alongside a library and computer laboratory.
He said the project also provided furniture, 20 computers, toilets, a borehole with a 5,000-litre tank, paved compound and playground.
“All these facilities have been put together by UBEC and facilitated by Mrs Tinubu,” he said.