For the love of the cradle

No one, least of all, the boy himself, knew what the future held for him.

Like others, that boy studied and passed his examinations and went off to where his destiny beckoned.

Over the years, thousands of other young boys had gone through that school and indeed, things have changed, including St John’s Primary School, which seemed to have fallen on hard times.

The buildings became old and started falling apart and the school was all but neglected.

Things had also changed for the boy who had begun his education there in 1964.

He too had come a long way but, unlike the school, life has been good to him.

That boy, Dr. Kolawale Olukoya, the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles remembered St John’s Primary School and thanks to him, that school, now wears a new look.

He rehabilitated the buildings and added new structures estimated at N30 million.

At the handing over, of the buildings, pupils of the school, sang and danced, praising God that, an old boy has been so richly blessed by God and that he chose to remember the school where it all started, long before even some of their parents were born.

Apparently taken aback by the gesture, Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Adenike Fatogun, said: “This is the first time such a thing has happened in Ondo State. You know that primary schools do not have associations of past students.

” But for someone like Dr. Olukoya to have looked back to do this, shows that he is not only a true man of God but a lover of education and mankind. God will bless him, his family and his ministry,” she said.

The commissioner challenged other individuals to rise up to the occasion and emulate Dr. Olukoya, who apart from being the MFM leader, is a world-renowned academic.

Dr. Olukoya was represented by Pastor Jeff Akinsulure and Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, who on his behalf, commissioned several projects.

Some of the projects commissioned included 12 blocks of newly built classrooms, 15 water system toilets, a block of eight cr?ches, a state-of-the art administrative block, and a vocational department while the four existing blocks in the school were renovated.

Some of the other projects, which are still ongoing, include an ultra-modern school hall.

According to Dr. Olukoya, he decided to give St. John’s Primary School a facelift due to his passion for education, adding that the school planted in him sterling qualities that have grown with him over the years.

His words: “I believe that excellence in education is important and should be encouraged.

“That this is why we gave out 19 cars to First- Class graduates in MFM church recently.

” We are also providing scholarships to many students in institutions of learning.

Rehabilitating my primary school, which served as the foundation upon which I eventually achieved my academic exploits, is the best thing I could do in times like this. I still appreciate everything it impacted in me till date”.

The cleric charged the students on commitment to the things of God and their education, which he described as a veritable key in breaking free from the chains of poverty.

The newly-built classroom are a prototype of the government’s Caring Heart Mega School Project, which is designed to bring an end to the disparity between public and private school pupils across the state.

The head teacher, Mrs. Dayo Oladimeji, expressed her joy at the new-look her school now wears, even as she admitted it was once in a very deplorable condition.