By Ibrahim A. Jagaba
In a practical demonstration of the common parlance, giving back to the society that made us, a frontline socio-economic group in Lagos, the Agege Molebi United Forum, has distributed about 12,000 writing materials: exercise books and pens; to 12 primary schools in Agege Federal Constituency.
According to the organisers of the programme, the gesture was intended to cushion parental educational expenses and drive mass literacy across Agege and its environs.
The exercise, led by famous Agege, Isale Oja-born son and Commander of the Rapid Response Squad unit of the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Saheed Olayinka Egbeyemi, was carried out by a cross section of members of the Forum, who are proud sons and daughters of Agege cutting across different ilks, tribes and creed.
White Lion, as the RRS Commander is commonly addressed by Lagosians due to his trademark, carrot and stick, community policing prowess; was joined on the humanitarian outreach by prominent sons and daughters of Agege, including the Sarki overall of Alimosho, HRH Alhaji Ahmed Haruna Kuraja, amongst many others.
Beneficiary primary schools included: Diary Farms, E.S, St. Peters, Ahmad Memorial, Oore-Ofe, African Church, Orile Agege, Community, Amosu (Pupils With Special Needs), State, Anwar-ul-Islam and Ibukun Oluwa.
Addressing pupils in the various benefitting schools, CSP Egbeyemi, urged them to focus squarely on their academic pursuits, warning them not to in anyway engage in harmful acts like illicit drug use, gangsterism and cultism under any guise.
“Never you allow yourselves to be preyed upon by anyone or as a result of peer pressure because the end result is usually summarily damaging,” echoed the security Chief said.
Going down memory lane, he reminisced how himself and the visiting team members, all went through the various pre-nursery, primary and post primary schools In Agege for their elementary education before going ahead to different tertiary institutions, leading to their individual development and successes becoming role models for the pupils now.
He added that it was a thing of extreme joy to be able to give back to the society that has made them great ambassadors of Agege, regardless of individual members chequered history.
A number of pupils were selected across the schools visited to be provided with new sets of school uniforms, school sandals and outright scholarship during the course of the exercise; the RRS Commander caught up with nostalgia, when the Molebi team touched down at African Church Central Primary School, Agege, his former school, where he immediately promised to donate a Ferman generating set to aid learning and laboratory works.
Giving his last words on behalf of the Forum, the White Lion, assured management and pupils of the beneficiary schools of a continuous bi-annually exercise as a modest contribution of the forum to promoting child’s education right as enshrined in the laws of the land; he additionally, promised to in no distant time, initiate schools advocacy program against sundry social vices.
The Education District Secretary, Mrs Catherine Ogunyemi and head teachers across all the schools visited expressed appreciation for the uncommon gesture by the unique Agege Molebi United Forum, praying for the group to grow and develop.
