SPECIAL REPORT: Classrooms In Shambles: Sorry state of Ibadan’s forgotten schools

A few weeks into the third term academic session, Janet Ogundiran, the headmistress of School One of I.M.G. Primary Schools, Mokola in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, was worried that most of her pupils had not returned to school. A headcount in classes 1 to 3 revealed that 70 per cent of the pupils had yet to resume for the new term.

Mrs Ogundiran asked the teachers to visit parents in neighbourhoods near the school to ask about the pupils.

At Sabo, a small community dominated by members of the Hausa ethnic group, one of the teachers saw two of her pupils dressed in another school’s uniform. The children’s parents told the teacher they withdrew them from I.M.G. Primary Schools for safety reasons due to its dilapidated buildings.

Another staff member returned with complaints from the parents she met about insecurity in the school.

“They said they had enrolled their children in other public schools with a safe environment and good facilities,” Mrs Ogundiran told PREMIUM TIMES.

I.M.G. Primary Schools has four separate schools in the same compound: Primary Schools 1, 2, and 3 and Alafia Basic School. The other headmistresses in the school have also received similar feedback from parents in neighbouring Ajibade and Oke Itunu areas.

Dilapidated Structures

School 1

A block of classrooms at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

When this reporter visited the school in July, fewer than 50 pupils were in all the schools. Mrs Ogundiran and her teachers were sitting in the hallway of a block of classrooms.

Three light green classrooms stood further away. A plaque announced that they were commissioned by the late former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2011. A man in tattered clothes was sleeping in one of the empty classrooms. There were no windows and doors, the ceiling had fallen off, and sunlight penetrated the roof. Another classroom was littered with human faeces.

Two classrooms at I.M.G. Primary Schools. oheeb Babalola]

Inside what was designated as the headmistress’ office, books and documents lay covered with what looked like dried human excrement and buzzing flies.

School 2

A two-minute walk from School 1 took the reporter to three blocks of classrooms painted in ash. A plaque stated that they were renovated by Zenith Bank decades ago, but they have again fallen apart and were overgrown with weeds. Their doors and the roofs have disappeared.

Abandoned blocks of classrooms at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

At another area of School 2, the reporter saw a block of three classrooms built in 2006 under the administration of former Local Government Chairman Ademola Omotoso and commissioned by Mr Alao-Akala. Scattered inside the classrooms were crumbled chairs and desks

School 3

A teacher and her pupils at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

Using nose wear, this reporter walked another two minutes to School 3, where he saw a block of three classrooms painted in the state’s official colours: brown and cream. The State Universal Basic Education (OYO-SUBEB) renovated the classrooms under the federal government intervention programme in 2015. However, all the iron windows and doors have disappeared, and the walls are cracked. Only one of the classrooms has a few chairs and desks.

A classroom at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

Alafia (free) Basic School

Alafia Basic School, the fourth school in the I.M.G. Primary Schools compound, has four blocks of classrooms, all of which are eyesores.

The classroom blocks were painted lemon and boldly spelt “Oyo Project, Alafia (free) Basic School.” The reporter first noticed from the main road that the community’s residents had converted the blocks into a dumping site.

A block of classrooms at I.M.G. Primary Schools [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

Two of the lemon-coloured blocks are decrepit, with their roofs, windows, and doors gone. Human faeces and refuse were found inside the classrooms.

Abandoned Toilet

A modern public toilet project in School 3 has been abandoned. Oladimeji Kamarudeen, the then-caretaker chairperson of Irepodun Local Community Development Area (LCDA), started the project on 2 September 2020.

The tank and pumping machine in the toilet have been removed, along with a portion of the iron roof. The two water closets and the tiled floor are filled with dried human faeces, and cobwebs cover the wall.

Class in session

A class in session at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

After inspecting the structures, this reporter entered a classroom used for combined teaching sessions. As their teacher wrote on the chalkboard, the pupils sat on the bare floor and window frames.

The reporter saw a row of desks and chairs in an empty classroom and two sets of desks and chairs in another classroom occupied by Alafia pupils; the rest had crumbled.

Pupils in a classroom at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

Ajoke Adio, a teacher, told the PREMIUM TIMES that the school staff often contributed from their salaries to fix chairs and desks for the pupils. She said they all shift to one side of the classroom when it rains because of the wind coming through the windows and the water leaking from the roof.

“The rain constantly beats us in the classroom, causing the pupils to shiver. This is the only fairly good block on the school grounds. I use this classroom for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. When I finish with one class, I ask the pupils to face back so the others can enjoy their classes. We often pray that it does not rain during school hours because we do not have anywhere to run to.”

The school does not have a gatekeeper or security post, and there was no signage to indicate that it exists. The fence had collapsed in parts of the school, giving unauthorised people access to the premises. Pupils can also sneak out at any time.

Army, Agbekoya as tenants

Agbẹkọya base at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

As this reporter made his way to the main entrance, he noticed that soldiers of the Nigerian Army’s Mokola Cantonment occupied a block of classrooms that former LGA Chairman Ademola Omotoso built in 2005. Dried bamboo sticks driven into the ground around the building created the illusion of a garden, marked with the words: “Keep Off, Rescue Army Zone.” Next to it is another block of classrooms with the inscription of the Agbekoya Movement of Nigeria, a vigilante group. It appeared to be a meeting place as it was padlocked.

Army base at I.M.G. Primary Schools. [PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

Thugs Chase Pupils

Susanna Oladejo, the headmistress of School 3, recounted the ordeals of the school management at the hands of hoodlums using the school grounds as a hideout. They spend the nights inside the classrooms and steal whatever was available in the school.

A classroom at I.M.G. Primary Schools.[PHOTO CREDIT: Toheeb Babalola]

“They carted away all government textbooks, the iron doors and windows, and left the school in disrepair. We do not have any security personnel. God is our security,” Mrs Oladejo said.

Mrs Ogundiran corroborated her colleague’s claims. The headmistress of School 1 recalled an attempt to apprehend a homeless man inside a classroom. She said the man suddenly drew a cutlass and chased the pupils and teachers away in broad daylight.

“We arrested some of the hoodlums and took them to the Mokola police station. We drafted a statement and informed our local government chairman about them. But, before we knew it, the police had released the hoodlums, and they came back to threaten us for arresting them. That is why we always leave them when we see them in the classrooms,” Mr Ogundiran said.

Oyo-SUBEB aware of school’s condition

Fatima Bada, the headmistress of Àlàfíà Basic (annexe), said the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYO-SUBEB) was aware of the school’s situation and had inspected the premises.

“We belong to SUBEB. They came last month (June) and promised to do something for the school. The local government chairman sent some people to take measurements so that they will know how much they will spend to rebuild the school for us. We are still waiting for them,” she said.

I.M.G. Schools not beneficiary of ₦3.5 Billion Renovation Grants

The situation at the I.M.G Primary Schools is not unique. scores of public schools across the state share a similar fate. Local and international authorities are aware of the situation. Recently, the World Bank under its Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) – Additional Funding (A.F.) awarded ₦3.5 billion to the Oyo State Government to enhance basic education in the state.

The project also aims to improve literacy in the state and provide fair access for children not in school.

On 22 June, Governor Seyi Makinde announced through his deputy, Bayo Lawal, that the grant would be used to renovate 105 primary schools needing critical attention across the state’s 33 local government areas of the state.

Mr Makinde said the work would begin simultaneously in all the 105 schools.

“A huge amount of money is being put into this project and the beneficiaries must put eyes into what is being done in their respective schools. The standard must be in accordance with prescriptions so that our children will take maximum advantage of the facilities the government is putting in place,” the governor said.

The state government later said the renovation would be completed within six weeks and include the provision of toilets and boreholes, among other facilities, to make the learning environment conducive for pupils.

On 24 July, the state government announced the list of the 105 public primary schools chosen for renovation through its official X (previously Twitter) handle.

I.M.G. Primary Schools Mokola Ibadan was not on the list, meaning the teachers and students in the school would continue to endure the terrible conditions there.

SUBEB Budgets 2019-2023

Aside from the grants, the state government voted about N22 billion over five fiscal years for SUBEB as capital and recurrent expenditures. The votes include ₦6.04 billion in its 2019 budget, ₦7.1 billion in 2020, ₦3.6 billion in 2021, ₦2.1 billion in 2022, and ₦2.8 billion in 2023.

SUBEB and L.G. React

On 2 September, this reporter visited the Oyo SUBEB headquarters in Agodi, Ibadan, and was directed to the press officer, Adeniji Lamide, who confirmed that the agency was aware of the dilapidated infrastructure at I.M.G. Primary Schools. However, he said many other schools in the state have the same issue.

He said that because the board had scheduled the I.M.G. Primary Schools for another round of intervention grants, they were not among the 105 recipients of the ₦3.5 billion World Bank project.

“I do not have the final say, and neither can the Chairman of the Board say what plans the board has for the schools or when they will be renovated. SUBEB is gradually renovating the state’s dilapidated schools.

“We have over 2,000 public primary schools; this is not the only one. There is no way that a structure under SUBEB will be dilapidated without the board being notified. We are aware. Oyo State is too large to accommodate all the dilapidated schools at once. But we will certainly attend to the schools in our next intervention project,” Mr Adeniji said.

On security concerns at the schools, the official said SUBEB was recruiting teaching and non-teaching personnel in schools throughout the state.

On the same day, this reporter went to the office of the chairperson of Ibadan North Local Government, Olúwaṣeun Olufade, at Agodi-Gate. But his secretary directed the reporter to the Director of Education, who said she could not speak for the chairperson despite being directed to her.

Handy Mustapha, the chairperson’s Chief of Staff, said Mr Olufade was out of the country and he could not speak for him.

Yishau Ajibola, the council boss’ media aide, said the same thing. The reporter asked if he could interact with the chairperson via WhatsApp or phone, but he did not respond.

Four days later, this reporter again contacted Mr Mustapha, but he reiterated his previous statement.

Experts voice opinions

Emmanuel Kilaso, the executive director of the Securecycle Environmental and Climate Change Initiative, said that when a school structure is dilapidated, pupils face environmental challenges that affect their learning and mental health because they compare the infrastructures of other schools to their own.

He said teachers would be demotivated to attend school and may transfer their frustration and anger to the pupils.

He said the government’s diversion of funds intended for school projects resulted in subpar infrastructure at public schools.

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“I don’t see a lack of funding, but a lack of government accountability. Nobody is checking the government; we do not even know when the contracts are awarded and what materials are listed in the implementation of the projects. These are some of the challenges we have. It is not that there is no funding; it is just the waste within the government system that eventually leads to ineffectiveness in the execution of the project. Education is not taken as a priority by the Nigerian government,” Mr Kilaso added.

Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the deputy national president of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), said community Development Associations (CDAs) should hold the local governments accountable through elected councillors to draw policymakers’ attention to dilapidated schools in their communities.

“It is alumni and NGOs that are ensuring funding and adequate infrastructure of the schools these days. They construct boreholes and toilets, which are supposed to be the government’s responsibility,” Mr Ogunbanjo said.