The Nigerian Army donated furnished blocks of classrooms to Sabon Gari Augie Community Primary School in Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the donation consists of two blocks of six classrooms each, and a block of offices to complement the only existing primary school in the community.
NAN also reports that the army executed the project in honour of Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Lawal-Augie, the immediate past Commander, Nigerian Army Education Corps.
Handing over the facility, General Officer Commanding 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Maj-Gen. Godwin Mutkut, said it would further strengthen existing civilian-military relationship and complement government’s efforts at promoting basic education.
Mutkut represented the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya at the ceremony.
He expressed optimism that the quality of the school project would no doubt bring basic education close to the benefiting community.
He also stressed the need for quality education for Nigerians to overcome multifaceted security challenges bedevilling the nation through non-kinetic approach.
He said it was against that backdrop that the Chief of Army Staff introduced special intervention projects to support communities of serving senior officers who had risen to the rank of Major General.
He observed that enrolment in the school would reduce the distance pupils covered to attend schools in other parts and reduce the number of out-of-school children in the community.
Receiving the project, Council Secretary, Augie Local Government Council, Alhaji Kabiru Mai-Arewa, observed that education remained the foundation of every meaningful development as no society would develop without education.
He represented the council chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Yola, at the occasion.
He said the facility would develop education in the area pave way for rapid growth and development of the entire community.
Mai-Arewa appealed to the Chief of Army Staff to consider the possibility of establishing a military unit in the area to curb incessant security challenges that impeded farming and other activities.
In his remarks, District Head of Augie, Malam Adamu Sama’ila, appealed to the Nigerian Army to consider his subjects during recruitment of soldiers and requested for increased army presence in Augie.
Responding, the project executor, Maj.-Gen. Lawal Augie appreciated the Chief of Army Staff for what he described as laudable project towards bringing quality education to the door step of his community.
He recalled that initially, there were three primary schools in the area but two had collapsed leaving only one servicing the entire community, hence the need for a new one.
Augie appealed for the establishment of a Forward Operation Base of the army in Augie because of its porous board with Sokoto State and with Niger Republic and because of its large land mass.
