The 1980 set of the Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School (JMMGS), has renovated and handed over one of the school’s blocks, as a way of ensuring continuity of the school.
The group also used the opportunity to promote maintenance culture in the country, stating that the lack of maintenance culture is one of Nigeria’s critical problems.
“In Nigeria today, bridges are collapsing. If you go to the national theatre, there is a connecting bridge from Ijora to Orile, it has collapsed,” said Ralp Adeoti, an ex-student who addressed the students on maintenance culture.
Adeoti argued for the need to have a clarion call on the significance of maintaining national assets, while describing the lack of maintenance culture as a national problem and a bane to Nigeria’s infrastructural environment.
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According to him, any asset that is in one’s care or used on a regular basis, and there is no way of preserving it by maintenance, is bound to collapse at any time and when it collapses, the cost of doing the maintenance will be far cheaper than to put the whole structure in place.
Also an Industrial Relations expert; Adeoti said it was important to inculcate the culture of maintenance and to start preaching the gospel of maintenance right at the early stage of school children so that they can grow with it.
“So, as young students who are still in their infantile stage of development, the idea is to inculcate the principle in their psyche that they should start taking ownership of whatever asset they have, not necessarily school property but anything that they value. They must find a way of maintaining it so that they can prolong its life span,” he said.
The 1980 set of JMMGS collaborated and contributed funds to renovate one block of the school which, perhaps, had defects.
While the exact amount spent on the renovation could not be said, the money went into millions, BusinessDay learnt. Renovations on the school’s block C started during the lockdown and were completed within a short while before school resumed.
Highlighting the significance of the gesture, Fola Tinubu, managing director, Primero Transport Services Limited, said when students are in a comfortable environment, they are bound to be more productive than when they are in a cramped environment.
Calling for acts like this across the country, the transportation mogul said if more people decide to do it, the better for education and quality education in Nigeria, and the better for everyone in the long run.
“Because whether we like it or not, our future in this country does not depend on oil,” he argues. “It depends on human capacity. It depends on how we groom these kids.
“So, whatever we can do to develop them, make them better citizens and make sure that they understand that they have to put the country first, it’s imperative we must all do it.”
While Tinubu also hoped the students will learn and take ownership and control of the classes, he believes the act was an example for the students who are expected to replicate it in their time for the continuity of the school.
An excited JMMGS principal, Atoyebi Olatunde, said no parent will visit the school and not appreciate what the old set has done. He said the building has increased the intake of students.
“We appreciate what they did and we pray that Almighty God will continue to bless them,” said Olatunde.
