Aiming to rid the learning environment of criminals, the Safer School Initiative, which the Ogun State Government has announced, involves demolishing more than 200 unlawful constructions surrounding school gates and marketplaces.
Despite being sent notifications almost six months ago, the proprietors of the shanties, unlawful buildings, and improvised stores did not respond, according to Farooq Akintunde, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment.
According to divinejams, on Thursday, the state government used bulldozers to clear Kuto, Idi-Aba, Oke Ijeun, and Panseke of shanties and other unlawful buildings.
St. John Primary School in Kuto, Nawairudeen Primary and Secondary School in Oje Ijeun, and Government Technical College in Idi-Aba are among the schools that have been visited.
Some makeshift stores in Abeokuta’s Panseke district were also demolished by the taskforce headed by Akintunde because they were obstructing traffic.
He asserted that the government’s primary goal in conducting this experiment is to prevent kids from being distracted from their education. On sometimes, pupils’ attention wanders from the classroom to their trading, which is detrimental to their education.
We must ensure the safety of our children, in accordance with the current administration’s Safer School Initiative.
Criminals use all these makeshift homes as a base. There have been numerous kidnappings that you are aware of. And the government, being proactive, does not want kidnappers to take advantage of these low-cost locations to carry out their evil deeds.
Additionally, he issued a stern warning to school principals who he claimed had given vendors unapproved space: stop or face the full force of the law.
Since we began this effort, a lot of information has been obtained, and I want to sound a note of warning. The news we’re hearing everywhere is disgusting, and our school administrators should take notice. The state government hires them to instruct pupils. They are not authorized to go around and hand out government setbacks to individuals.
“We don’t want a situation where they will find themselves in government’s trouble,” he added, adding that the fee in question was illegal.