And Hon. Kafilat Ogbara Sets The Record, Actualizes The First Secondary School In Agboyi

Hon. Kafilat Ogbara

And Hon. Kafilat Ogbara Sets The Record, Actualizes The First Secondary School In Agboyi

A great philosopher said he who opens the gate of school has succeeded in kicking the prison gate, but it is unfortunate that the quote for a long time didn’t have an empirical translation in the Agboyi community, an island in the Lagos metropolis. Thanks to the development-conscious member of the House of Representatives, Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, who recently changed a narrative that endured for well over one hundred years.

After the establishment of Agboyi Primary School by the CMS in 1859, after which it was remodeled in 1895, it will be found shocking that the community suffered a lack of a higher learning center, a secondary school, which in turn is responsible for how loads of children from the community don’t have beyond-primary school education. Only children whose parents had the wherewithal to sponsor their education outside of the island were able to pursue their academic dreams, having been prepared by the local Agboyi Primary School. Some of the pupils who drank from Agboyi Primary School’s stream of knowledge and were able to continue their education pursuits and eventually became notable figures in the society include the great TOS Benson, late Ganiu Seriki of Seriki Aro fame in Ikeja, and the late Miftau Owoyele. Some others are the late Adeniran Ogunsanya, the great Timothy Ishola Bankola, the former member of the governing council of Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTEC), and many more.

Meanwhile, despite the early establishment of the school, it turned out that less than 30 percent of ‘graduates’ from the primary school found ways to secondary education between 1960 and 1980 on account of the fact that the school and its pupils are all in a community surrounded by water. Also, the majority of the community dwellers who were parents of the pupils were mostly peasants, fishermen, and their wives, mat weavers, who could not afford secondary education for their wards outside of the island. For this reason, out of every 50 primary school ‘graduates,’ 95 percent will stay back home on the Island to continue the traditional occupation of their parents, while the remaining 5 percent might be lucky enough to find means to leave the Island to continue their education in urban areas. One might be tempted to think they could make use of schools around Agboyi at Ojota, Ogudu, Orisigun, and others, but as earlier stated, the occupation the parents had could only afford them to live from hand to mouth and not to cater for the transport fare of any child to a distance among other requirements of a school at a distance. Up to the 1980s, the number of higher institution graduates in Agboyi was not only low but very low because the secondary schools were quite a distance from the island.

Fast forward to 1999, the people of Agboyi had come to understand more what education and its power mean; they had come to understand and cherish the meaning of academic qualifications, and they were resolute in their demand for the establishment of a secondary school in their domain. In the course of presenting this important demand, a number of administrations have come and gone just as heaps of pledges never become reality, but the people of Agboyi remained resolute and refused to be derailed into believing that being given 2 kg of grains is better than the establishment of a secondary school.

For the purpose of clarity, the people of Agboyi don’t play politics with development; therefore, to them, the establishment of a secondary school will not only give birth to an increase in the secondary school enrollment, it will also give birth to more smart indigenes that will know their rights and can demand them when it’s necessary, unlike the current situation where some leaders are taking advantage of the youths who lack necessary awareness.

Meanwhile, unlike some leaders in the area whose leadership has been devoid of the rightful essence, Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, who represents Kosofe in the House of Representatives, from the inception has shown and demonstrated that she’s a development and purposeful leader. It is soothing to say her first two years in office have indicated she has a clarity of purpose that gives an assurance of a brighter future for the people of Agboyi 1, 2, and 3. And major among the factors that will make the future of Agboyi brighter, which is a secondary school, over which the people have over the years shed bitter tears, Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, a grassroots supporter and lover of the people, has actualized the Agboyi community, and after over a century, it can now boast of a secondary school, courtesy of Ogbara. While the people of the community have continued to relish in the euphoria of the long-sorted development, one can bring back a memory of many outstanding benefits her representation has fetched Agboyi.

For about six months, Ogbara was elected into office, and Agboyi Ward i, which comprises Agboyi Oruba 2 and Agboyi Oruba Keta, was in darkness. Letters were written to several quarters to come to their aid, but no positive response came forth; however, in less than two months, that promise keeper, Ogbara, got into office, and behold, a brand new transformer had landed, and electricity was restored in the affected communities. Of course the well-appreciated gesture of Ogbara made some local gods who failed in their responsibility of doing something about the situation unhappy. The gods were particularly sad that they had lost the loyalty of their Agboyi people to a well-meaning leader who valued their existence and cared about their well-being.

It is worthy of mentioning that while the secondary school was being constructed, some ‘bad belle’ people, in their usual way of obstructing development, tried to mislead SUBEB not to allow the school to stay, but SUBEB, committed to promoting the THEME agenda of Governor Babajide Olusola Sano-Olu, among which is education, didn’t give in to the wishes of the adversaries of the Agboyi people but ensured the needful was done. On that note, I wish to say congratulations to the people of Agboyi communities for standing firmly with their MHR to achieve this great historical legacy, which some visionless power drunk could not achieve in almost eight years in office.

L-R: Prince Oladega Ibrahim and Hon. Kafilat Ogbara

Meanwhile, on a concluding note, the emergence of the newly constructed secondary school building has forced some uninspiring individuals who are saddled with the responsibility of complementing the effort of Mr. President, BAT, and our amiable Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to come out of their shell. At least, when someone lives up to expectation in about one year where you have failed in about eight years, one would naturally expect the latter to consolidate on the foundation of success laid by the former and be appreciative, but in the case of these local gods, they see it as a call for rivalry. What a shame!

It will be on record that MHR Kafilat Ogbara has changed the narrative by forcing the people that share rice to know that securing the future is never done by distributing 2 kg of rice but by planting legacies that will be enduring and beneficial. On a last note, I hope the ministry of education will take action by making sure the first set of secondary school students in Agboyi kick-starts by next session.

Truly, Igbega ipinle Eko, ajumose gbogbo wa ni, either from the federal, state, or local government!

Prince Oladega Ibrahim, SA to the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives (9th Assembly) on Political Matters (South-West), writes from Iga Olu Agboyi, Agboyi Ketu LCDA, Kosofe, Lagos.