In furtherance of efforts at consolidating the subsisting bilateral relations between Nigeria and Haiti, the Federal Government of Nigeria has completed the construction of Benoit Batraville High School located in Saut-D’eau, Haiti.
The project, initiated as Nigeria’s response to the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, was supported by well- meaning Nigerians and the Red Cross Society.
It would be recalled that the project was suspended in 2015 due to unforeseen circumstances but rejuvenated by the Nigerian Government through its High Commission in Jamaica that is concurrently accredited to Haiti in 2022
The mission after satisfying due process requirements, awarded the contract to a Jamaican based Benson Construction Company. Despite all odds including security challenges in Haiti, the project commenced in February 2023 and was completed in record time by 23rd of August, 2023.
The building was handed over to the Haitian Authorities on 29th August 2023, while the handover was ongoing speeches and goodwill messages were delivered via zoom by top Government Functionaries of both countries.
In attendance was Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Jamaica with concurrent accreditation to Haiti, Dominican Republic and Belize; H.E Amb. Maureen Tamuno,
Minister of Education Haiti; Mr Nesmy Manigat,
Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Haiti, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs Haiti;Mr Azad Belfort, and senior government officials from Haiti
In her remarks, H.E Maureen Tamuno applauded the bilateral relations between both countries, and expressed delight at the delivery of the project. She expressed her thanks to God for seeing her team through and seized the opportunity to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his renewed hope agenda and commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, She also thanked the Minister of foreign affairs H. E Yusuf Tuggar and his Haitian counterpart H.E Monsieur Jean Victor GENEUS. Nesmy Manigat, Minister of Education, Haiti, and the Municipal Council of Saut-D’eau for their support and cooperation to the Project. She also enjoined the students and teachers to make good use of the excellent edifice delivered and expressed her willingness to re-visit Haiti soon.
The Nigerian top diplomat used the opportunity to advocate and urge stakeholders, most especially the United Nations, to assist with returning normalcy to Haiti.
The Haiti officials thanked the Nigerian government for this landmark project, they emphasised that without the government of Nigeria it would have been impossible.
The Minister for foreign affairs Haiti represented by the Director of Foreign Affairs, Mr Azad Belfort expressed his gratitude to the Nigerian Government for their benevolence and to Amb Maureen Tamuno, for working tirelessly for the actualization of this Landmark project. He emphasised the close ties Nigeria and Haiti share through descendants of the Igbo community from Nigeria. He stated in his remarks that the establishment of the school will strengthen the diplomatic ties between both countries.
The Minister of Education, Haiti, Mr Nesmy Manigat expressed so much gratitude to Amb. Maureen Tamuno Ph.D and the Nigeria Government for fulfilling their promise. In his words “I was there in 2015 as Minister of Education, Haiti, a lot has happened. We have come a long way , despite the educational and security challenges in my country Haiti including problems of infrastructure despite all today , under Her Excellency Maureen Tamuno, Nigeria has Delivered. We are indeed very thankful for the school project”. He stated that this will go a long way to further strengthen the bonds of co-operation and bilateral relations. He reiterated that it was very important and timely for a small community like Saut -d’eau to have a public building of that level which in his words is the envy of others.
DETAILS OF AREA
The School’s property is 12,500 square meters
(134, 548.9 SQUARE FEET).
BUILDING
The size of the building is IS 9,411 square meters (32,000 square feet) BY 4.5 Meters (15 Feet) High.
FENCE
The Perimeter fence is 1,250 square meters.
The Building consists of the following:
The Administration block (The principal/Vice, Secretary area, Stationary/Printing room and a Restroom
16 nos standard size classrooms.
The Staff Room/Restroom
The Canteen
The Computer Lab.
The Storage room for the school
The Auxiliary workers restroom
The building operations control room (For the Electricals and Plumbing operations)
3# Double Entrance Doors and 2#Double Exits Doors
The school consists of two playground areas:
The standard football field at the back of the building and the area allotted for auxiliary sports like basketball, volleyball, etc
THE AUDITORIUM:
New Four classrooms/Auditorium (These four classrooms are built to accommodate both classrooms and auditorium with mechanically collapsible wooden walls), flooring, walls and roof slabs, and drainages.
Dr. Kole A. Shettima, author and Director, The MacArthur Foundation, Africa Office and Folake Soetan, the CEO, Ikeja Electric PLC will lead high-powered speakers at the Women High Achievers Trybe (WHATrybe) 2024 annual conference to be held Sunday 10 March at 4:00pm. The upcoming free one-day virtual event themed “Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges,” is in commemoration of International Women’s Day. WHATrybe is a Nigerian non-profit community dedicated to inspiring and empowering women to attain leadership roles in business and management services. Speaking on the forthcoming virtual gathering, Kiki Okewale, the host and Convener, WHATrybe Community said this year’s conference asides giving women a new reorientation of being a woman with value, it also aims to celebrate the achievements of women while also advocating for gender inclusion and empowerment. “With a strong emphasis on breaking barriers and fostering connections, this year’s event seeks to inspire women to overcome obstacles and build bridges towards a more inclusive and equitable society. We are coming together to celebrate the achievements of women, break down barriers, and build bridges towards a more inclusive and empowered future,” Okewale stated. She added that to achieve this, a lineup of distinguished speakers who are leaders and experts in their respective fields have been lined up to share their insights and experiences during the conference. Other speakers include Dr. Tewa Onasanya, founder,Exquisite Magazine; Josephine Osomwonken Omoniyi, Clinical Psychologist and Entrepreneur; Mabel Adeteye, Head of Brands & Marketing, Wema Bank; Karika Yonreme, Corporate Strategist; and Etemore Glover, Seasoned Development Expert. The event will be hosted by the dynamic podcaster and coach, The Energetic EJ. Registration is open now while interested attendees can reserve a spot at the conference by visiting: https://bit.ly/Whatrybe2024 and stay tuned for further updates on WHATrybe social media pages @whatrybe. They can also visit Bit.ly/WHATcommunity to be a member of the community.
The EDE Prize for Language is pleased to announce the launch of our inaugural Spelling Bee, which will encourage literacy and academic excellence among students in Lagos and Ogun states. This first-of-its-kind spelling bee aims to celebrate and preserve the Yoruba language, fostering a stronger sense of cultural heritage and linguistic diversity. The EDE Prize is proud to lead this groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with Teammasters, a reputable organization that organizes nationwide spelling bees. We hope to empower young people by giving them a platform to demonstrate their language skills and celebrate the diversity of indigenous cultures. “The EDE Prize for Language represents our commitment to promoting indigenous literacy and preserving cultural heritage,” said Bobo Omotayo, the prize’s creator. “Through our partnership with Teammasters, the Prize’s goal for this event is to inspire the next generation to be proud of their language and culture.
For the first edition, students from Lagos and Ogun states are eligible to compete for the Prize. We invite schools from both states to participate in this culturally rich educational experience. Participation in the spelling bee is free, and schools can register their students by going to www.edeprize.com. “The EDE Prize for Language is not just a competition; it’s a celebration of Indigenous languages and traditions,” said Rotimi Eyitayo, Teammasters National Spelling Bee’s founder.
The EDE Prize for Language will feature several rounds of competition, culminating in a grand finale in which finalists will compete for prestigious awards and recognition. The competition is divided into two categories: (i) Lower Category for children aged 8 to 11, and (ii) Higher Category for students aged 13 to 17. Schools interested in taking part in this inaugural edition can register their students for free at www.edeprize.com. Registration will open on Monday, March 4, 2024, and close on Friday, March 29, 2024.
Ahead of the 2024 governorship election in Ondo State, the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organistaion has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to order over alleged use of thugs and other ciminally-minded miscreants against other aspirants. The campaign organisation, in a statement, alleged that supporters and peaceful members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who turned to receive the president during his trip to family of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s family, were attacked by armed thugs who were working for the state governor. The statement, signed by the spokesperson of the campaign organisation, Segun Ajiboye, said property and billboards of other aspirants were destroyed by the rampaging thugs during the attack.
The statement, tagged: “Ugly attacks on gubernatorial aspirants by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s thugs during President Tinubu’s visit to Ondo State”, said the organisation is being restrained by “the need to save our dear state from an ugly return to the dark days by those who harbor vaulting and mechanical ambition.” It stated further: “You will recall that the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, was in Ondo state, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, to commiserate with the family of the former governor of Ondo state, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON and His Majesty the Olowo of Owo, Alayeluwa, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III. The president was also at the residence of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of Afenifere.
“As expected, the good people of Ondo state, particularly the peaceful members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress *APC), trooped out to welcome the president, who is the leader of the party and father of the nation.. “The people were joined by party leaders, party members. In an effort to give our leader a rousing welcome to the state, the different gubernatorial aspirants vying on the platform of APC mobilised their supporters to receive Mr President at the airport.
“The atmosphere was carnival-like. But that was until what ordinarilly was planned to be a rousing welcome and celebration of the visit of Mr President was turned to a theater of violence and bloody attack on APC members and supporters of other gubernatorial aspirants by thugs sponsored and fully armed by Hon Lucky Ayedatiwa, the governor of Ondo state.
“The well-orchestrated and executed attacks were carried out by some well-known thugs as well as members of the NURTW loyal to the governor of Ondo state, led by one Mr Eniba. The thugs, who brazenly fired gun shots into the air to cause confusion, went on a destruction spree as they attacked property, while billboards of other gubernatorial aspirants were defaced, pull down or out rightly destroyed.
“Party members perceived to be loyal to all gubernatorial aspirants sustained varied and diverse degree injuries resulting from the attacks unleashed on them, while those supporting Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa were spared. T-Shirts, faze caps and other insignia wore by members of the targeted aspirants were torn to shreds.
“The thugs who carried out the orchestrated attacks were armed with all sorts of dangerous weapons. It is sad to note that many of our supporters with deep cuts are in the hospitals receiving treatments at the moment. It is, however, surprising that no aspirant other than the governor was spared of the attacks.
“Let me state here that the need for this press statement is not borne out of fear or inability to protect our supporters. We have the capacity to give adequate protection to all our members who have remained peaceful in the face of this dastardly attack. We are also not unaware of the overriding need to save our dear state from an ugly reenactment of the dark days by those who harbor vaulting and mechanical ambition.
“At this juncture as members of the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, we would also love to state that as responsible leaders and members of our party with genuine intentions to serve our dear people, we are unable and will not accept the imposition on the party members a regime of panic and fear in other to supplant popular participation in a democratic process aimed at emplacing accountable and responsive leadership.
“We, therefore, call on Mr President and the national chairman of the APC to prevail on Mr Governor to halt the use of thugs to advance his political interest. The field is wide enough for everyone to operate
“Also, we urge all security agencies to not only to be on red alert against future occurrence but also ensure that those who carried out these dastardly attacks are apprehended and brought o books to serve as deterrent to others who may be emboldened by this barbaric act.”