Mr Matthew Ogunlere, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Abia, has donated a borehole and 20 desks to primary and secondary schools in the state.
The schools included Migrant Farmers Primary School and Federal Science Technical College both in Ohamso in Ukwa East Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the gesture was part of his Community Development Service (CDS) projects.
Donating the borehole to the management of the primary school on Friday, Ogunlere said that he observed that the school was faced with acute water scarcity.
“One day, on my way back from a skill acquisition centre, where I am learning a trade, I saw three school children with bottles by 11.30 am, crossing the ever-busy Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in search of water.
“I was touched after they told me their experience, knowing that they were risking their lives even at a time when they were supposed to be school.
“I checked their toilet and saw that it was good but there was no water. And in this COVID-19 period they needed water to always wash their hands,” Ogunlere said.
He said that he donated the desks, which he personally constructed, to the secondary school, to support its furniture needs.
In a speech, the State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Bona Fasakin, thanked the corps member for his kind gesture.
Fasakin described CDS as one of the four cardinal programmes of the scheme through which corps members contribute to the development of their host communities.
She also thanked the community for giving the corps member the enabling environment to serve his primary assignment and sponsoring his project.
Earlier, Chief Rowland Omoni, the Deputy Transition Committee Chairman of the LGA, expressed delight over the projects.
“The council is humbled by what Matthew has done. It is only God that can reward him. The projects are verifiable,” he said.
In their speeches, Mr Peter Ngwuta and Mrs Hilda Nwankwo, the Prinicipal and Headmistress of the benefitting schools, expressed profound gratitude to Ogunlere for his donations. (NAN)
