Shiru Lawal: The Sacrifice We Must Make

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Since his appointment as the sole administrator, his mission was thoroughly articulated and well understood from the beginning.

Hon Shiru Lawal had told himself, and had assured the people, that Lokoja local government under his watch as administrator would experience elaborate and spectacular development in various areas. 

In less than three years of his tenure as sole administrator, Shiru has not only proved that this is possible, he has practically achieved this goal for the local government and the people. 

There are many areas of accomplishments by his administration, but the education sector, an area dear to me as a student teacher and because of its relevance for the future of our children, comes readily to mind. 

Education is the bedrock of our hope for a greater future. It is the antidote for ignorance, the everlasting weapon against poverty and disease. It unbundles our creative energies and puts us in a position to understand, explore and control our environment for the general wellbeing of society.

That is the reason I was not surprised that Hon shiru lawal made education a cardinal agenda for his New Direction mantra of his Boss Gov Yahaya Bello in Lokoja. 

Before his arrival on the political stage in Lokoja, education in the local government was in shambles. Infrastructure was in acute state of deficit.

School buildings like adult in cantonment and almost everywhere were decrepit and crying for attention. Hon shiru’s rescue train promptly embarked on an elaborate infrastructure remediation programme that has turned the sordid situation around for the better. 

Today, old school buildings in virtually all the community of Lokoja  are looking bright and strong. School environments have become more teaching and learning-friendly. Teachers are clapping in appreciation of the rescue work accomplished by the Shiru administration. stipends to teachers to motivate them has become a regular monthly routine. This has given the teaching profession a new attractive definition.

Extensive and sustained training and re-training programme which was part of the remediation plan of the government has achieved more than expected results in a short time. In less than two years of the administration, Lokoja local government performance in the West African Examination Council in kogi state  jumped from about 20 percent to 67.3 percent in 2017. It was a pleasant surprise to all that were familiar with the poor state of education in the local government before then. 

There is no doubt that this has contributed to the pleasant tale of immense benefits being harvested by the local government today. Shiru’s huge investments in educational  sector which was part of his rescue agenda did that magic for the good of the local government. 

My plea with Hon shiru is that the tempo of support for education must be sustained by his administration. As a student myself, I am in a position to know much government’s new policy of generous development of facilities and motivation of staff which  have helped in promoting teaching and learning. 

Teachers, students and school managers in the local government  owe themselves the duty of ensuring that that these do not stop. And one critical way that this can be done is to ensure that Hon shiru lawal, who is the philosophical pillar behind all the good things that education in Lokoja has witnessed in just three years is returned to office for continuity. 

I know many of us in the education sector either as students, teachers and proprietors have already resolved to do so. But resolution alone is not enough. 

Apart from ensuring the continuation of the rescue mission in the education sector, it is our own way of rewarding the good gesture of Hon Shiru. There is no better way to reward his laudable achievements in the sector than to ensure and clamour for his continuity for the office of the executive chairman for another four-year term. This we must resolve to do. 

As a youth and stakeholder in the politics of Lokoja, I am aware that there will be a lot of effort on the part of unpatriotic elements in the town to frustrate our resolve, but we must be courageous enough to stand out ground. 

It is the only way to guarantee the future of our children and our great grand children. No amount of sacrifice is too much to make for this to be achieved.

Mubaraq Yasmin


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