In a significant initiative aimed at bolstering educational and security standards, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, alongside the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, is set to inaugurate a N500 million education and security trust fund dedicated to the Uneme communities in northern Edo State.
This pivotal event is scheduled for September 14, 2024, and will take place at the La VOD Hotel in Benin City.
The primary objective of this launch is to confront the pressing challenges surrounding education and security that have plagued nine Uneme communities. Furthermore, the event will honor distinguished sons and daughters of these communities who have made substantial contributions to their development.
Babatunde Obabori, the President of the Uneme National Development Association (UNDA), expressed deep concern regarding the current state of education and security in the Uneme areas. He noted that these issues have become increasingly alarming for both residents and those in the diaspora, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention from the national body. “The education and security situations in the Uneme had become worrisome to sons and daughters at home and the diaspora, hence, the need for quick intervention by the national body,” he stated.
At the event, Governor Obaseki will be honored as the Chief Guest of Honour, while the Oba of Benin will serve as the Grand Royal Father. The gathering will also feature traditional rulers from various Uneme communities, including the Chairman of the Uneme Traditional Rulers Council, the Oliola of Anegbette, Alhaji Yakubu Ugbodaga, and the Ogienoruele of Erhurun, Oba Moses Braimoh.
The N500 million fund is earmarked for several critical projects. According to Obabori, the funds will be allocated to the renovation and furnishing of classrooms, the construction of residential accommodations for teachers, and the provision of essential classroom furniture.
Additionally, the establishment of libraries, procurement of educational materials, and support for the recruitment and sponsorship of community teachers are also included in the plan.
Further, the initiative aims to provide scholarships, grants, and bursaries for students pursuing higher education. A comprehensive security strategy will also be implemented, which includes the provision of vehicles and motorcycles to enhance the operational capacity of local vigilante groups within the communities.
Obabori has called upon indigenes from these communities across the globe to contribute and support these noble projects. He highlighted the specific communities that will benefit from this initiative, which include Uneme-Anegbette, Uneme-Akiosu, Uneme-Apama, Uneme-Ekpedo, Uneme-Enekhua, Uneme-Erhurun, Imiava-Oghomeze, Uneme-Udochi, and Uneme-Uzanu.
He further remarked, “Inasmuch as communities look towards the government to provide basic amenities for the people, indigenes should also learn to contribute in such areas they feel are not getting the desired attention. A lot is on the table of governments and sometimes we cannot continue to wait; hence, our intervention in areas we feel are very critical to the well-being and development of our communities and the future of our young ones.”
