When Etisalat reached out with Adopt-A-School initiative

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The mobile telecommunication giant, Etisalat Nigeria is reaching farther with its Corporate Social Responsibility effort within the educational sector. The latest within that array of beneficiaries interestingly, is the Girls’ Government College, Dala, Kano state.

One of the historical legacies bequeathed to the ancient city, the Girls’ Government College mildly evokes a feeling of the visionary leadership that was the lot of the old Northern Nigeria under the oversight of the late premier of the region, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

Established in 1960 as an all-girls college targeted at promoting girl-child education in the region, GGC as the College is fondly called championed this pioneering cause with passion and went on to produce some individuals that have made remarkable marks over the years.

Those who are used to the iconic GGC can easily testify to the school’s descent infrastructures, hardworking teachers and the general conducive environment for teaching and learning were among the factors that stood out Government Girls’ College, Dala and made it the preferred choice for students and parents who wanted sound and qualitative education for their children.

The school’s growing influence was however said to have been scuppered by the advent of successive military governments and the attendant neglect meted out to it. Even concerted attempts by past civilian administrations to address the downward slide could not yield much of the desired fruit.

The Kano State Deputy Governor, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, while speaking at a recent commissioning of facilities renovated by Etisalat Nigeria in the school, succinctly gave some clues to why the trend had lingered for the time it did.

“It is very clear to us that given our population as the most densely populated state in the country, the huge demand on education cannot be borne by government alone, the tiers of government cannot single-handedly bear the funding burden of education without getting support from corporate entities, individuals and communities. Without that, it would be difficult to achieve our goal of education for all,” Abubakar said.

Gleaning from the Deputy Governor’s revelation and with an increasing enrolment figure which currently stands at 1,930, the fate of the College appeared sealed until Etisalat Nigeria, albeit with full understanding of the State Government, came into the scene on the wings of its Adopt-A-School initiative.

Coincidentally, this social feat by the telecoms operator is coming at a time the company is marking seven years of exceptional dedication to sustainable development across various strata of the Nigerian economy.
Unlike some companies in their stead which would have rolled out the drums of celebration and music, Etisalat Nigeria is however focusing on exploring ways to impact more lives and communities.

The teleco operator Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko said it is in keeping with this commitment to sustainability and corporate social investment, that Etisalat Nigeria adopted the College earlier in the year, and subsequently went about the task of providing the much needed facelift had hitherto been elusive.
Under the first phase of renovations carried out in the school, Etisalat Nigeria revamped several facilities including the Information Communication Technology Centre (ICT) to which it donated 30 desktop computers, the library fitted with furniture, text books and other relevant study materials, Kwankwaso Hostel Block, a modern science laboratory, solar-powered potable water facility and seven classrooms with chairs and tables.
Dikko added that it is in the effort to drive the delivery of quality education that has propelled the telecommunication company to engage in much intervention.

“The whole aim is to drive the delivery of quality education. What we have done is to create an enabling environment for conducive learning which in turn drives improvement in learning. Generally, we are about innovation.
“We are also about driving sustainable development and one of the key platforms on which we do that is education, everything literally rests on education. Education is at the bedrock of any meaningful development,” Dikko said.
Not a few stakeholders had so far applauded the teleco operator’s gesture. They have wondered that despite being the fourth entrant into Nigeria’s telecoms industry, Etisalat has in the past seven years impacted the lives of its 23 million customers in Nigeria in several ways, and it is amazing how much the teleco would do in the coming years.