Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has said that one of the best ways to promote national growth and development is through provision of quality education for children and youths.

It said that giving our children opportunity to learn in a conducive environment with good facilities will go a long way to help them realize their aspiration of becoming future leaders in the country.

Speaking during the commissioning of the LEA Primary School, Tukuruwa in Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Abuja on Tuesday,
PENGASAN president, Comrade Festus Osifo said that the gesture will inspire the children to achieve greater heights in life.

For over two years, the two buildings housing the LEA Primary School, Tukuruwa in Kwali Area Council was in dilapidated state with it’s roof completely blown off by rain, forcing the School children to sit on bare floor to carry on learning activities.

However, PENGASAN Foundation, the charity arm.of the oil workers union floated about a year ago intervened and rehabilitated the entire structures at the school including the toilet facilities.

The project, which includes two blocks of six classrooms, staff rooms, toilets, borehole, 200 desks, and 800 notebooks and school bags for pupils, was executed in less than a month.

Addressing parents, children and community leaders who gathered at the school to witness the ceremony, Osifo said that the PENGASSAN desirous of helping Indegent citizens in anyway possible.

Osifo said: “We felt that as a body PENGASAN, this was one of the projects that we think was quite auspicious, one of the projects that would go straight to the heart of this community and also better the lives of these children, because these are future senators, these are future presidents, these are future governors, and these are future local government chairmen and chair ladies.

“So for us, we are extremely excited to have undertook this project. There is nothing more exciting than this, because if these children go into the classroom, they see a befitting chair to sit on. Almost about 200 of them were supplied and about 800 exercise books that we have also supplied, as well as school bags, just our little way of saying, thank you to a country that has given us, support to be whom we are today.

Osifo spoke of other interventions made by the Foundation, Osifo said: “We’ve done a lot of intervention across the nook and cranny of the country, where in different general hospitals to look out for the poorest of the poor in our society, people who could not afford a simple medical bills to offset their bills, millions of Naira was expanded and expanded on that.

“You could see the joy that came out from these people, because a lot of them the hospital could not release them to go home, even when they were not well.

While haring his experiences in the execution of various humanitarian interventions, the Chairman of PENGASAN Foundation, David Owan said that he was deeply touched by the circumstances that some people found themselves in.

In the case of the LEA Primary School, Tukuruwa he said that the Foundation was enthused by the excitement and level of cooperation by the community during the rehabilitation..

His Royal Highness, Etsu Kwali, Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III, expressed deep appreciation on behalf of the community, describing the project as a symbol of hope and inclusion.

“We feel hopeful, because this project will provide conveniences or has provided conveniences for the pupils of this school to learn. Our hearts are so filled with joy,” he said.

The traditional ruler praised the swift response of PENGASSAN to the community’s request for help.

Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Hon. Danladi Chiya, who received the symbolic handover of the renovated school, acknowledged PENGASSAN’s critical role in reviving a long-neglected facility.

“Today, I’m overwhelmed standing before you. I’m so glad that the PENGASSAN Foundation have deemed it necessary to touch the life of Kwali people.

“Indeed, the entire community of Kwali Area Council were honoured and were happy for your intervention.” Chiya said.

The post Education Key to Empowering Society, Says PENGASAN appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

​