The Dangote Foundation says it has donated a well-equipped secondary school in Lagos valued at N120 million as part of its interventionist’s programme to boost education.
The foundation has also offered annual free tuition to 250 indigent pupils.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, said this at the inauguration and handing over of the school with well-equipped laboratories to Nawair-Ud-Deen Comprehensive College, Idi-Oro, Mushin.
“Aliko Dangote Foundation started in 1993 with the principle of `to whom much is given, much is expected’ and looking at the less privileged ones among us have compelled the foundation to provide some reliefs.
“The four major goals of Aliko Dangote Foundation are education, health and nutrition, economic empowerment and disaster reliefs,” he said in a statement by Mr Tony Chiejina, the Head of Communications of the group.
He said his education mission was targeted at reducing the number of out-of-school children, supporting talented and underprivileged young children to achieve their full potential as well as educating girls and women on health-related issues.
Dangote said apart from donating the school building, the foundation would sponsor 250 students whose parents might not be able to afford the yearly school fees.
In addition, he said furniture for both teachers and the students as well as a sound-proof high capacity generator had been provided to ensure constant electricity in the school.
“I have already authorised my foundation to come up with a strategic plan to implement a scholarship programme for desiring less privileged children in this community.”
According to him, over the past five years, the foundation has spent over N4 billion in the building of classrooms, scholarships, upgrading infrastructure across the various universities and behavioural change communication programmes targeted at girls and women.
Dangote said:“We have just recently inaugurated the Dangote Business School in Kano, the only Business School in Nigeria that is well equipped.
“We will also be inaugurating similar projects at the University of Ibadan. We have done quite a lot in the education system and we are looking to do more.
“Investing in the young people to us means we are all working together to build a better Nigeria.”
Dangote said in preparing youths to proffer solutions to present challenges, Dangote Academy was established in Kogi to provide specialised training and management skills that would suit the various sectors of the economy.
He pledged continued support to the government in its quest to provide quality education to the population toward securing a great future for the country.
Alhaji Ola Yussuff, the Chairman, Nawair-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Lagos, commended Dangote for the donation and for single-handedly undertaking to construct the college.
Yussuff said the gesture was in line with Bill Gate’s recent call for serious commitment to the human capital development in the country and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He urged other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate Dangote for his intervention in education and health sectors.