A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Marvelous Otarigho has donated laboratory equipment worth N8 million to Government Junior Secondary School, Life camp, Abuja to advance the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The laboratory, Otarigho described as her pet project, was donated to the school as part of her Community Development Service (CDS) and was officially unveiled yesterday at a brief ceremony at the school premises.

Both teachers and students were excited by the gesture and commended her for genuine effort to promote effective teaching and learning of science education in the school.

Otarigho, in her remarks, said the project has the ability to transform learning and spark innovation in the minds of the students. She said: “Today is not just the unveiling of a room filled with equipment. It is the beginning of a journey where knowledge will no longer be limited to pages in a textbook, but students will experience learning firsthand through discovery, and experimentation.”

Otarigho stressed that the unveiling coincided with the 2025 Nelson Mandela Day — a day set aside by the United Nations towards making a difference in the communities — an occasion for everyone to take action and inspire change.

She commended various organisations and individuals who supported the project, saying efforts would also be made to ensure resources are provided for the maintenance of the laboratory.

She added: “At the time I resumed my service year, I was assigned to teach basic science, a subject some of the students were not good at, hence, their lack of interest in the subject.

“Upon resumption, I did my best to make the subject more attractive to them, thereby making them perform better. In the process of doing this, I saw that a major reason why the students are not much interested in basic science is the fact that there is no laboratory to demonstrate some of the teachings in practical terms.

“Upon this discovery, I decided to embark on this project as my personal Community Development Service, in line with the NYSC tradition. This laboratory is a gift to these students, who are today’s learners and tomorrow’s innovators.

“Whether you dream of becoming doctors, engineers, researchers, or inventors, let this space be where your dreams begin to take shape. We are not just opening a laboratory, we are opening minds, opening possibilities, and opening a future filled with promise,” she added.

Otarigho said she planned to do massive work in the school to further promote teaching and learning of sciences, disclosing that plans were already underway to set a Science Club in the school, where she would personally teach the students a lot of experiments and how to manage a laboratory as well as use the equipment.

She noted that these children are foundation when it comes to nation building., hence, must be well-groomed and nurtured to bring about the desired change in Nigeria.

“They are our main focus; so, I channeled all my energies on this,” she added. Director, Science, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, FCT Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Florence Wenegieme, commended Otarigho for coming up with such a laudable project, saying it would go a long way in promoting STEM education.

She noted that government alone could not effectively fund education, adding that the project by the corps member would advance science education in the school, as students would combine theoretical knowledge in the class with practical experimentation in the laboratory.

Wenegieme noted that science without practicals will go nowhere, adding that science is very important to meet with global challenges.

“We are in the world of technology, for us to meet global challenges as a nation, we cannot do without science and technology, which is why we appreciate this. We pray other corps members will emulate her to support the government.

On his part, the principal, Mr. Nnanawachukwu Francis, said the school has never seen such a big project since it was established.
An elated Francis lauded the corps member and enjoined well- meaning Nigerians to support the government in its task of developing the sector.