THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014
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EDUCATION
New Year wish fulfilled for Lagos teachers •Car gift enthralls teachers
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HEY are teachers. Their wish for 2014 is to own cars. But they were not working towards buying one; their bank accounts did not boast of enough funds either. They just prayed at the beginning of the year that they would get a car before the year runs out. What they did not expect was that their prayers would be answered so soon. Last Thursday, Mr Johnson Alawiye of Our Lady of Fatima Primary School, Mushin and Mrs Wunmi Tolu-Alalade of Community Senior High School, Surulere were presented with brand new and fully registered cars. The keys to the KIA RIO 2013 model were handed over to the new owners at the yearly Lagos State Education Merit Award for emerging the best teachers in the primary and secondary school categories. Biology teacher, Mrs ToluAlalade said she was on top of the world. "I put in all my best, but God did it," she said. For someone who left her job at Neimeth Pharmaceutical in 2009 to teach, Mrs Tolu-Alalade is not in it for the money but for love. "Teaching is a ministry and I love it. It also gives me joy to see the children win when they go for competitions," she said. Her husband, Mr Tolulope Alalade, a Medical Doctor with the
By Medinat Kanabe
Lagos State General Hospital, Lagos Island, said he was privileged to be married to a teacher. Alalade, who is the Head of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre of the hospital, said he supported her from the day she started work as a teacher. "I sold the idea to her to join the teaching profession. The pay may not be much, but there is a lot of benefit," he said. Mrs Tolu-Alalade's mother, Mrs Helen Akitiloye believes that it was the hard work and commitment of her late husband, who was also a teacher, that has brought her daughter all the opportunities she has. "Her father was formerly a teacher, a dedicated, hard working and committed teacher, but he did not win anything. I believe it is the good work of her father that is opening doors for her, she said. Best Teacher, Primary School Category, Alawiye told The Nation that hard work crowned by God’s blessing made him win. He praised the Executive Secretary of the Mushin Local Government Education Authority (LGEA), Mr Yusuf Olokodana for his unbiased and supervision of schools under his care. He said: "He makes sure our work is monitored. He made sure that the award was given on merit through thorough supervision. He is a very hardworking and unbiased man,
•From right: Mrs Oladunjoye, Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, Mrs Tolu-Alalade with her children and friends at the presentation
who does not compromise and does not tolerate laziness." Alawiye, who was overjoyed about the prize, said giving teachers award will motivate them and make the lazy ones more focused. However, he advised the government to help teachers improve their content and pedagogical skills by sending on for trainings, seminars, and workshop regularly. For Mushin Local Government Education Authority, where Mr Alawiye's school is, theirs was double joy as they were the only school that produced two winners in the award ceremony.
They also got best Non-Teaching Staff Award for JSS, which went to Miss Abiola Akerele of Igbo Owu Junior Secondary School, Mushin. The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, charged the teachers to strive hard and make sure Lagos State records a 100 per cent pass in the next West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). She also counselled other teachers to emulate those who were rewarded. "Teach them well because you have a commitment to them. Continue to work hard. Everybody cannot win; work harder so that
you can win next year. Those who won last year are not the same people who won this year and those who won this year may also not be the same people that will win next year,” she added. Other recipients included Mr Abiodun Aiyerin of Vetland Senior Grammar School, Ifako Ijaiye (Best Principal, Senior Secondary School category), Mr. Emmanuel Adebiyi of Iju Junior Grammar School, Iju (Best Principal, Junior Secondary School category), and Mr. A. O. Ambali of St Georges Nursery and Primary School, Falomo (Best Head Teacher).
Senator Tinubu hosts One-Day governors By Sampson Unamka
•Mrs Tinubu
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ENATOR Oluremi Tinubu, has urged youths to channel their energy towards causes that can help Nigeria’s development. She spoke in Lagos during at the
fifth annual Council of One Day Governors (CODG) reunion luncheon tagged "Today's model, Tomorrow's future," which held at the Best Western Hotel, Victoria Island. It was a forum meant to reunite past winners of the Spelling Bee Competition started by New Era Foundation, her pet project, in 2001. The forum offered them a platform to interact with and learn from successful personalities, business captains and political leaders. At the event, Senator Tinubu, who is President of the Foundation, expressed joy with the Foundation’s efforts to impact young people positively through programmes, including overseas trips, competitions and camp activities.
"The foundation is helping a great deal to expose the youth to different areas of life and other cultures to help broaden their knowledge, widen their horizon and impact them positively. I commend the team, our sponsors, our partners including the Lagos State Ministry of Education and Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), board and candidates for a great and fulfilling year," she said. Mrs Tinubu said the New Era Youth Camp (NEYOCA) has been making positive impact on young people. "I am particularly excited over the joy, inspiration and equipping that the opening of the New Era Youth Camp (NEYOCA) is providing to young people. Seeing the evident excitement of these kids as they
share great, heart moving testimonies about their NEYOCA experience truly reinforces my conviction to forge ahead with the dream of delivering world class youth development centres in Nigeria, " she added. Executive Director of the foundation, Mr Yemi Osilaja was happy about its achievements in its 11 years, particularly last year when it witnessed encouraging growth. "Our commitment to the vision for New Era Foundation to be a formidable and sustainable enterprise for social transformation in youth development, environmental health and women empowerment remains solid. A lot of resources have already gone into developing the camp and much
more is still needed towards reaching our goal of functional resource centres that are ideal for all youth. We want to be at the forefront of a campaign that helps the youth take command of their future," he said. The event was well attended by notable personalities, including the wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola; twotime commissioner, Dr Leke Pitan; Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas; Mrs Oprah Benson, Education Commissioner, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Mrs Sarah Sosan; Dr Amy Jadesimi, Managing Director, LADOL; Senator Babafemi Ojodu, Hon Wahab Alawiye-King and Hon Tunde Ibrahim.
"I want all citizens of Lagos to pay taxes regularly so the government can improve social amenities," she said. For Chidinma, tax income has played an important role in improv-
ing her school. She said her school used to be called Tambolo High School because it was infested by an ant locally called Tambolo. This is no longer the case.
Essayists share stage with governor
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HE seventh Annual Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders’ Conference of last Thursday did not just serve as a forum to discuss tax issues alone, it gave the opportunity for secondary school winners of the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) Tax Essay Competition to learn more about the taxes they wrote about in their essays and be rewarded by Governor, Babatunde Fashola. The event, held at the Haven Events Centre, Ikeja, GRA, attracted representatives of corporate organisations, institutes, market women and other taxpaying institutions and individuals who heard various government agencies give account of their stewardship. The pupils heard from the governor how Lagos has been able to increase its Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) through taxes. As a result, he said the government was able to budget N486 billion this year compared to N14 billion in 1999. With income generated from taxes, he said the state would be able to match the kind of infrastructure and
By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie
social/welfare services found in the developed world. The six winners from the junior and senior categories were presented with plaques, cash prizes and computers for writing on various topics on how taxes can be utilised to better the society. In the Junior category, Queen Rita Edvbir of Western College, Yaba, lifted the trophy and went home with a scholarship grant of N250,000 and a computer for her school. David Iwoera of Muslim Junior College came second and got N200,000 and a computer while 10-year old JSS2 pupil, Adesuwa Inegbenebo of Ogba Junior Grammar School came third and was rewarded with N150,000. Chidinma Ilo of Eletu-Odibu Senior High School, Yaba won the Senior Category. She beat Blessing Okeke of Aquinas Private College, Surulere, and Olayemi Bola Shalom of State Seniro High School, Ibereko to the second and third positions. In an interview with The Nation, Rita said from her research on the topic: "The Impact of Tax Payment
• From left: Queen, David and Adesuwa, the junior category winners with their trophies.
on the Lagos of our Dreams,” she was able to learn how taxes have help the government provide infrastructural facilities and urged all taxable adults to pay their taxes.