Benin, Edo – Worried by the sorry state of St. Lucy Government Primary School, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, the Founder and Servant-leader of Project Charilove, Mr. Chris Omusi has made a passionate appeal to the state government to uplift the conditions of less privileged children.

Mr. Omusi, who spoke Monday in Benin with journalists said that the school which was established in 1933 with the mission of educating the children of ex-lepers lamented that with only two teachers, the school now barely functions.

While calling for urgent government intervention, he added that the school had three teachers the previous year, to handle nine classrooms of eager but neglected pupils.

He wailed that the pathetic state of the school is a severe metaphor of the neglect of vulnerable children in Edo State and also highlighted the failings of the government in providing basic education and support.

Mr. Omusi wailed: "The school, once a beacon of hope, now barely functions with only two teachers, down from three the previous year, to handle nine classrooms of eager but neglected pupils.It is unthinkable and unacceptable. 

"The situation is compounded by the fact that the headmistress, who also serves as the local Nigerian Union of Teachers chairperson, is often unavailable due to other engagements."

Continuing, Mr. Omusi noted that the rot at primary school does not exist in isolation, adding that Charilove Centre, which he founded in 1990 to care for vulnerable children and individuals, faces its own battles. 

He disclosed that the efforts of the centre, which he founded in 1990 to take children off the streets, particularly those whose parents were ex-leprosy patients begging on highways, have gone largely unrecognised by the state government.

He said: "In fact, the Centre has now become a last resort for mentally challenged individuals, often abandoned at its doors by authorities without any support or funding."

Getting emotional, the founder recounted a harrowing incident in July of 2011 when a critically ill boy named Abraham was dumped at Charilove Centre by the police, instead of taking him to a hospital for urgent medical care.

He said that the law enforcement left him at the Centre without any explanation or assistance, a situation which he insisted clearly highlighted the extent of the disregard for vulnerable individuals.

Besides, the lack of teachers, Mr. Omusi explained that the students also lack learning materials just as the school is woefully underfunded, creating an environment where these children, most of whom come from impoverished backgrounds, struggle to attain even the most basic education.

He accused the government of systematically excluding Charilove from opportunities for support and funding, noting that wac time the state government receives resources to assist orphanages and homes in need, Charilove is always conspicuously left out, despite its long-standing work with marginalised communities, adding:

While tasking the government and concerned citizens to prioritise the children’s education and well-being, he further lamented that Charilove was left out of the recent palliatives distributed by the federal government to states to alleviate the suffering of the poor, querying: 

“Where are the palliatives? Those of us who are conscientiously working in the field had hoped that fairness would prevail but the Centre received nothing, further exacerbating its financial woes."