Former Speaker pleads with Bello over decay of infrastructures in the state

Disturbed by the high level of infrastructural decay in many government institutions especially his alma-mata, Lenon Memorial College Ageva in Okene Kogi state, the former Speaker and a serving member, representing Okene 11 in the state House of Assembly, Hon Momoh Jimoh Lawal, appealed to the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to rescue all ailing institutions across the state.

The lawmaker made the call at the weekend while donating two blocks of six classrooms which he built and equipped to the school to mark its golden jubilee.

Lawal said it has become expedient for the state government to declare a state of emergency on infrastructures in secondary schools across the state, lamenting that students are now studying under harsh and inhabitable conditions.

According to him, the Lenon Memorial College’s contributions to his mental and socio economic advancement was all he needed to confront life challenges, saying the donation of the two blocks of classrooms was his modest way of giving back to the school that has made him.

The former Speaker while thanking the Anglican Communion that established the school in 1967 in a muslim dominated community said it has given them hope and brought unity to the people of the area across religious lines.

“Anglican Communion came here and established a school in a muslims community which today has given people like me hope and foster unity among students and teachers alike as we interacted without borders.

“While the teachers acted as candle , consuming themselves to light the way for us, we as students then were our brothers keepers .In oneness , we played together irrespective of various backgrounds and in oneness, we shared our pains.” He recalled.

He noted that the vision of the founding fathers of the school was to make it a torch light for the community which become his inspiration to his fertile mind, stressing that he was fulfilled by the donation to the school that was a beacon of light to him.

“LMC Ageva is so unique in my development. I came here in 1980 and left in 1985 and came here as a civil servant spending 17 years, leaving here to venture into politics and in my first tenure in the state Assembly, I became a Speaker of the House of Assembly. With this background, I promised to come back to contribute my quota for its greatness.

“I therefore call on all the former students to come back with their resources as a mark of honour to give a facelift to the school which is suffering from infrastructural decay.”

Idris Ahmed, Lokoja