Group Distributes Free Education Materials to Rivers Students

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

As part of measures to promote quality education for students in Rivers State and in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), a group, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), in partnership with a peace advocate, Mr. Solomon Ndigbara, yesterday distributed free education materials to secondary school students in Ogoniland.

Ndigbara, an ex-Niger Delta agitator, said the gesture became necessary to support and contribute to the education of the younger generation of youths to promote peace in society.

He called on the students to make judicious use of the educational materials, which included thousands of exercise books, biro, and others, adding that the students must conduct themselves peacefully in school, back home and in society to promote peace and security.

Ndigbara stated that: “The distribution of the educational materials, which started with Birabi Memorial Grammar School (BMGS), Bori, and Bua-Yeghe Community Secondary School in Gokana Local Government Area, would be extended to other schools in Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas in this first phase and other schools outside Ogoniland in the second phase.”

The ex-agitator also solicited support from members of the public, especially philanthropists, to encourage the ongoing campaign for inclusive education for all citizens of the country.

Receiving the materials on behalf of the students, who were very excited, at BMGS Bori, the Principal of the Junior Secondary Section, Mr. Bana-Agor Nuka, thanked Ndigbara for the gesture, and expressed optimism that “more will come considering the population of the mixed school estimated to be over seven thousand students.”

At the Community Secondary School Yeghe, which is the hometown of Ndigbara, the students expressed joy at the sight of their brother, while the Principal of the Junior Secondary School Section, Mr. Nkana Gbenekanu, who received the materials in the presence of other academic staff of the school, thanked the philanthropist for the donation, and promised to ensure equitable distribution of the materials to the students “who will use them judiciously in support of their education.”

Also speaking, the Country Representative of the International Association of World Peace Advocates, Dr. Steven King, thanked Ndigbara for choosing number four of the SDGs of the United Nations ‘Quality Education’ as his vision and area of concentration, to promote quality education and peace in society, adding that the schools are privileged to benefit from the support, and urged the students to reciprocate the gesture by studying hard for academic success.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director, YEAC-Nigeria, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, who was at the schools for the distribution of the materials, admonished the students to be peaceful and take their studies seriously to attract more donations from NGOs and spirited members of the public.

Fyneface disclosed that the organisation has in several occasions “sensitise students on human rights, environmental and climate advocacy as well as campaign against cultism, drug abuse and other organised crime.