Chairman/founder of The Address Homes Limited, Dr Bisi Onasanya, has donated a multi-million naira block of classrooms to Ilara community in Epe, Lagos State in furtherance of his vision to support education through his philanthropic works.
The donation of a block of six classrooms with a fully-equipped library at Ilara Model Primary School, Ilara, Epe, was made by Onasanya in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Lagos, Bowen College and Bank of Industry and was commissioned by His Royal Majesty Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, the Alara of Ilara-Epe Kingdom on Monday.
At the ceremony, Onasanya, a former group managing director and chief executive officer of First Bank Plc, said the gesture formed part of his efforts to support the underprivileged and contribute his quota in bridging the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria’s education sector.
Onasanya, whose company, The Address Homes Limited, leads the luxury homes market, reckoned that the figure of children without access to education in Nigeria is still alarmingly high, a development that should trigger an alignment between the government, private sector and well-meaning Nigerians to address the gap.
“I have always believed that as individuals we should always remember where we are coming from. Society has been kind to some of us and we should give thanks to God; in addition to that, we must give back to that society.’’
“There is an event that I never shared but remains indelible in my memory. I attended St. Paul Primary School in Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos, a public school, I remember that on my very first day in school, there was a very rowdy session because people were struggling to get enlisted. I am not sure my mum will remember this incident, the head of the school then, because of the rowdiness and the first come, first serve arrangement, actually slapped my mother. I was six years old, that was in 1967, I can never forget and it made me resolute that no child should be made to go through a situation like that to access education and no child should be disadvantaged as a result of the status of his parents.’
