The Group Managing Director of Afrinvest West Africa, Mr Ike Chioke, has explained that the 85-year-old Central School Obioma in Udi Local Council of Enugu State was rebuilt to complement his scholarship programme in the community.
At the official opening ceremony of the school on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Chioke stated that his primary aim was to lift the quality of education in Obioma community to meet global standard.
“I run a scholarship programme in the community. But having observed the poor learning environment in which these pupils study, I was compelled to do something very urgent to totally uplift the quality of pupils here to world standard.
“I would have used the money to throw a party or asphalt the road to my house, or even buy a luxury car; but I said no, these children are learning in a very poor environment. That was what motivated me,” he said.
In a statement on Friday through the Principal Consultant of Plexus Media Interlinks, Mr Ozioma Ubabukoh, the Enugu-born philanthropist added that he embarked on a total rebuilding of the school, established in 1937 by the missionaries, having observed its sorry state.
He wondered what type of learning such a dilapidated school could offer pupils in today’s global village of learning.
According to him, building a befitting school should be a collective journey to rebuilding the nation.
In the new building, which cost him about N100m, are modern learning gadgets as physical and electronic library, computer laboratory, inverters, power generating sets and state-of-the-art instructional materials and furniture.
Chioke hinted that the community set up a 17-man Board of Trustees and committees to oversee security, environmental cleanliness, educational standard, curriculum attainment and other aspects for the school.
In appreciating Chioke, who is a prince of Obioma Kingdom, the President-General of Obioma Community, Dr Emmanuel Jideofor, said, “This is first of its kind in our community that a non-governmental, non-politically-motivated project is being sited and fully executed by an individual and commissioned within a very specific period.”
