Bayelsa education fund, NGO donate water project to school
Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Fund (BYEDTF), Thursday donated a 9,000-litre capacity water project to Community Secondary School Angiama in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The water project in the rural school along the bank of River Nun was in collaboration with the Sustainable Partnership Initiative for Development (SPID).
The project is part of the BYEDTF and SPID’s commitment to improving schools and communities under the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program.
Dr Alice Atuwo, Executive Secretary of BYEDTF noted that the project marks the fifth intervention for a public secondary school in the state.
According to her, the fund had completed and handed over similar initiatives at CSS Okutukutu, Yenagoa, CSS Tungbo, Sagbama, Kaima Grammar School and Government Comprehensive Secondary School Toru Ndoro in Ekeremor LGA.
“It is with a sense of fulfilment that I welcome you to Angiama, a cradle for educational development in this part of the state for the commissioning of commissioning of another water project for our schools in rural communities.
“I say so with hindsight to the contributions of our father of blessed memories, the late Chief Frank Opigo.
“This event is another milestone in our collective drive to provide clean water to our school children which will no doubt improve their sanitation in the school.
“We at BYEDTF are happy that we are making an impact through such strategic interventions. If we all know the effect of cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks in our communities, we will appreciate the importance of this water project,” Atuwo said.
In his speech at the event, Acting Chairman of the BEDTF board, Prof. Francis Sikoki, thanked SPID for their partnership and urged the Toru Ndoro community to safeguard and utilize the water project judiciously.
Also speaking, Dr Weli Igiridi, Project Coordinator for SPID, observed that the water project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Goal Six.
He noted that the objectives of the BYEDTF align with SPID’s and was the justification for their participation.
Mr Simon-Peter Okene, Permanent Secretary, Bayelsa Ministry of Education performed the inauguration on behalf of the Commissioners, Dr Gentle Emelah.
He lauded the BYEDTF for their consistent implementation of the mandate of the fund established by the state government to advance the frontiers of education at all levels in Bayelsa.
Chief Donewell Jones, a traditional ruler of Angiama thanked the donors for the project which he said was already serving the secondary school, the nearby primary school and the community.
He pledged that the community would safeguard the facility from vandals.
Mr Bonafie Jones, Principal of the school applauded the BYEDTF for the gesture and recalled that the fund had earlier provided science and laboratory equipment to the school.
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