The resident also shared photographs showing some of the pupils carrying stones, while others were seen sitting and lying on the bare floor inside a classroom.

Pupils of Abaji South Primary School in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have reportedly been carrying stones from the surrounding community to the school for use as seats amid a shortage of desks and chairs.

A resident who raised the alarm with SaharaReporters said he saw pupils carrying stones on their heads to the school early Friday morning.

The resident also shared photographs showing some of the pupils carrying stones, while others were seen sitting and lying on the bare floor inside a classroom.

He said the situation was concerning, particularly because children were being made to engage in activities that could expose them to risks.

“Early morning on Friday, I saw some pupils carrying stones on their heads to the school. It was quite concerning to see children still having to engage in such activities,” the resident told SaharaReporters.

He said the stones were reportedly being sourced from an area around the community, expressing concern that continued removal of stones and soil could worsen erosion in the area.

According to him, the school is also affected by erosion, while some classrooms lack adequate chairs and desks for pupils.

He further said the school had no proper water supply and that its toilet had remained in a dilapidated condition for more than 10 years.

The resident alleged that officials from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Abaji Area Council had visited the school several times for supervisory purposes, but the condition of the toilet had remained unresolved.

He appealed to the Chairman of Abaji Area Council, the Supervisory Councillor for Education, the FCDA and other relevant authorities to intervene.

“This is simply about drawing attention to the condition of the school and ensuring that the pupils have a safe and conducive environment to learn,” he said.

The situation was also highlighted on Sunday by MonITNG, a civic platform, which posted photographs of the pupils and classroom on X and called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Senator Ireti Kingibe and other authorities to intervene.

“This is Abaji South Primary School, Abaji Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the condition in which these children are expected to learn should concern every Nigerian,” the platform said.

MonITNG said some pupils were sitting directly on the bare floor, while others had gone into the community to look for stones to use as makeshift seats.

The platform described the situation as a problem beyond furniture, saying it raised concerns about the dignity, safety and quality of education available to children in underserved communities.

school

It urged the FCT Administration, FCT Universal Basic Education Board, Abaji Area Council and other relevant authorities to urgently visit the school, assess its condition and provide classrooms, desks, chairs and other essential learning facilities.

The platform also referenced the FCT’s budget, noting that the territory’s 2026 budget was approved at about ₦2.285 trillion, with ₦1.741 trillion earmarked for capital projects.

It also cited a proposed ₦500 billion commercial loan contained in the FCT’s 2024 budget for ongoing capital projects.

“A child should never have to search for a stone in the community simply to find somewhere to sit and learn,” MonITNG said.

Source: Saharareporters

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…Law creates new funding window for education, skills development

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Friday signed into law the State Education and Skills Trust Fund Bill, creating a framework for sustainable funding and improved management of the state’s education and skills development sector.

Speaking with journalists after the signing ceremony at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, said the law would strengthen the delivery of quality education and improve outcomes across the state’s education system.

Elemide said the legislation was designed to make education “more meaningful, more qualitative and more constructive,” adding that it followed extensive consultations with members of the public and stakeholders.

“We are just trying to make education more meaningful, more qualitative and more constructive. It will be more encompassing; that is what the bill is all about,” he said.

The Speaker expressed optimism that the full implementation of the law would further strengthen Ogun’s education sector and sustain the state’s position as a leading education destination in the country.

He, however, stressed the need for greater private-sector participation, noting that the huge resources required to effectively fund education could not be provided by government alone.

“The private people too need to contribute. After all, they are the ones that will inherit these people after being educated,” Elemide said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, said the Trust Fund would cover both formal and informal education, with particular emphasis on skills acquisition and vocational development.

He said the fund would provide an additional source of financing beyond the normal budgetary allocation and support critical areas including school infrastructure, bursaries, teacher support and maintenance.

“In other words, we have put in place a mechanism of ensuring that education can also still be funded through another source different from the normal budgetary allocation,” Arigbabu said.

The Commissioner explained that the state had been operating under an executive bill signed by the governor three years ago, adding that the passage of the legislation by the House of Assembly would provide stronger legal backing for the Trust Fund.

According to him, the law would also facilitate the integration of informal education into the state’s education system through the re-engineering of the traditional apprenticeship model.

Arigbabu disclosed that more than 9,000 youths had so far been trained in various vocations under the state’s skills-development initiatives.

He said the Education and Skills Trust Fund would therefore serve as an additional funding mechanism for the sector, particularly in expanding informal education, vocational training and other skills-development programmes across Ogun State.

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