It is with gratitude to God that I address you on this occasion of the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of Junior Secondary School, Angwan Jarme, Kokona Local Government Area of the State.
You would recall that during my inaugural address, I made a pledge to construct classroom blocks in some Local Government Areas within the first 100 days of our Administration as part of our determination to improve the standard of education in the State. We are gathered here today to give effect to this declaration.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is pertinent to state the resolve of this Administration to execute policies and programmes that have a direct bearing on the lives of our people in the education, health, water, energy and other critical sectors of the State economy. To achieve our objective in this direction, efforts have been intensified to partner and honour our obligations to development partners, including the payment of counterpart fund for the execution of projects and programmes.
As you are aware, the construction of Junior Secondary School, Angwan Jarme, Kokona Local Government Area is one of the 47 projects under the 2018 Conditional Grant Scheme of the Sustainable Development Goals which Nasarawa State has keyed
in towards the improvement of the living condition of the people of Nasarawa State.
Other projects in the Conditional Grant Scheme of the Sustainable Development Goals in the State will cover the construction of eight (8) primary schools consisting of one block of four (4) classrooms with offices each, ten (10) toilet sets and eight (8)solar-powered boreholes in the primary schools across the State. Similarly, five (5)junior secondary schools consisting of six (6) classrooms with offices and equipped with solar lighting will be constructed across the State. In the same vein, thirteen (13) senior secondary schools across the state will also benefit from the solar lighting intervention to encourage reading culture during the night in schools in our rural communities.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our focus in this direction is in fulfilment of the Goals No.4, 6 and 7 out of the 17 Goals of the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at improving the quality of education, provision of portable water and sanitation, as well as sustainable modern energy for a prosperous Nasarawa State. Let me assure you that, this Administration will strive to realize all the seventeen (17) Goals and their targets as espoused by the development agenda of the United Nations.
Let me take the liberty of this occasion to once again reiterate our commitment to change the fortunes of our educational system by creating the enabling environment for effective teaching and learning in our schools. Through this effort, we intend to improve school enrolment, retention and completion. We shall endeavour to engender a process that will take-off the children of the poor and indigent people in our society
off the street to the schools. We intend to create equal educational opportunities for all and sundry to realize their educational aspirations in the State.
At this juncture, let me call on the Contractors handling the projects to adhere to specifications and standards,
and ensure timely completion.
On this note, it is my pleasure to lay the foundation for the construction of junior secondary school, Angwan Jarme, Kokona Local Government Area, Nasarawa
State.
Thank you and God bless us all.
