One of Nigeria’s foremost insurance companies, Post Assurance Brokers, has donated up to 45,000 study items to support the Lagos State Government as it commemorates its inaugural Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Week.
The study items, which include notebooks, pens, erasers, sharpeners and school bags, are meant to promote quality education in the state in line with sustainable development goal number four, which is quality education, the company said in a statement.
According to the company’s CEO, Lekan Ajisafe, the items are to be distributed to pupils in government primary schools within rural and peri-urban communities in the state.
This, he said, is to support the government’s initiative on quality and affordable education.
“We at Post Assurance Brokers believe in the power and potency of inclusive and qualitative education in fostering sustainable development. We also have faith in the Lagos State Government’s many initiatives in making sure quality and affordable education is available to all in the state,” he said.
“This gesture is a demonstration of our faith in this government and our wholehearted support to the pursuit of quality education for all and we hope the recipients put the items to good use,” he added.
“It’s also our way of identifying with the government in this landmark period of instituting the Lagos SDGs Week, a move we are convinced will help fast track efforts towards achieving the global goals,” he concluded.
Speaking on the gesture of Post Assurance, Special Adviser to the Governor on SDGs & Investment, Mrs. Solape Hammond, expressed gratitude to the company for supporting the government’s efforts in ensuring that education is easily accessible to everyone in the state irrespective of their status.
She also restated the state government’s commitment to improving the overall quality of education in the state.
“For us, education is not only a global goal but also a key theme in our THEMES agenda for the state. We understand the central role it plays in the development we seek to engender in Lagos and we are glad to be getting support from the private sector in this regard,” she said.
Also reacting to the development, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals, Mr Lekan Fatodu, expressed his delight that the SDGs Week was already achieving its goal of fostering cross sector collaboration towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Last week, we witnessed the distribution of free loaves of bread across the state, an action specifically targeted at goal 2, which is Zero Hunger. Today, we are receiving study items for pupils in the state in line with goal 4, Quality Education.
“We are elated because our aim for the week is being realised. We wanted to create an atmosphere that engenders strategic partnerships towards the achievement of the global goals and the support we have gotten so far from the private sector is proof that we are on course,” he said.
“Today’s donation will contribute significantly to access to quality education in the state. These study items will not only reduce the price parents in rural areas pay for educating their wards, it will also enhance the pupils’ educational experience, thereby enhancing performance,” he continued.
According to him, qualitative education is non-negotiable if the state would maximise its resources and reach its potentials.
