A few days ago, the second smart school built by the Otti administration was commissioned. It is located at Umuomaiukwu, a rural community in Isiala Ngwa North LGA.
Umuomaiukwu is one of the three villages that make up the Autonomous Community known as Agburuezeukwu which is part of the larger Oha Nsulu.
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The mere mention of the words SMART SCHOOL evokes certain reactions. There is this feeling in some quarters that the state has been lagging behind in the implementation of the smart schools policy.
Those who feel this way are not completely wrong. Even the governor himself said at some gathering some months ago, “We have not done very well in the area of delivering the smart schools. But we will get it right.” This for me, is leadership. That boldness, that courage, to admit there are issues in policy execution, and even greater courage to ensure appropriate measures are put in place to fix them.
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‘I have learnt to trust this governor’
Since fixing Port Harcourt Road successfully, I have learnt to trust this governor. In fact, the story of Port Harcourt Road was one of the major factors that influenced my decision to join the Otti political family.
After what appeared to be slow starts to this project, coupled with jabs from the opposition (where I played a prominent role), Otti was unmoved. Instead of a needless exchange of social media fisticuffs, he went to work and delivered the Port Harcourt Road in a way that shocked me personally.
Port Harcourt Road remains the most eloquent testimonial of Otti’s courage to deal with hitherto seemingly intractable challenges. After the first-class job at Port Harcourt Road Aba, I personally do not believe that Otti won’t fulfill any promise on any project. This is my personal view, please. And I hold on to it with tenacity and absolutely no apologies.
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This mindset guides my assessment of Otti and his project execution and delivery template. I see a governor who is not in a hurry but is deliberate about delivering quality job. Three years plus down the line, is there any project Otti has commissioned that is substandard or has collapsed?
My view of Otti’s smart schools
So, with this in mind, I got to Umuomaiukwu that day well ahead of time to move around and inspect this smart school. Like the first one in Ubakala commissioned two weeks ago, what Otti is doing with this policy is more than building a school; he is bringing the future of basic education to us, today.
I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that no primary school anywhere in this state, including the best private schools, can match these smart schools. In everything. This is true.
True to what has become the Otti standard, the school project is a beauty to behold. It’s almost surreal. Almost unbelievable.
The Umuomaiukwu Smart School is powered off grid. It is 100% solar-powered with gadgets—modern learning gadgets you won’t even find in universities. The classrooms are fully digital with each pupil having a dedicated tablet for learning. There is a dedicated ICT Lab full of computers which to my surprise, the kids are already operating seamlessly. Rural kids!
The teachers are also able to teach using these high-end gadgets.
One other thing the Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic and Secondary Education, Sir Kenechukwu Nwosu, showed me while taking me around was the seamless IT connectivity between the two smart schools at Ubakala and Umuomaiukwu.
The school has a Sickbay that makes one feel like falling sick and lying down there, with dedicated nurses at work. There is a Girls Room to attend to young girls who are dealing with the challenges of puberty.
The library is sweet. The restrooms are sparkling clean with steady water supply and a team of staff hired to clean the area. There is a room for counseling children who show traces of difficulty and emotional instability. There is an electronic clocking system that monitors teacher attendance and activates the use of the gadgets. It’s almost impossible to believe that this is a primary school. It’s 100% free.
‘Otti is a man of taste and high standards’
The third one is almost ready at Umuogele, Aba South LGA and will be unveiled soon. The plan, according to the governor, is to do 20 of these schools in the first phase, with each local government getting one and another set of one in each senatorial district.
Otti is a man of taste and high standards. He uses the best hands for projects. The contractor handling this project, BLUE GIRAFFE has a full understanding of the governor’s vision and is faithfully implementing it.
With this, Otti has set a standard of what basic education in our state should look like going forward. This template will become the standard in a gradual but steady fashion. God willing, Otti will be governor till 2031 and knowing his style, there will be many of these schools before that time. Many more.
Most importantly, before he leaves, Abians would have become so used to this standard that electing only someone who will carry the light forward will become commonplace.
Believe it or not, the future of basic education is here.
OTTI NWERE FOUR MORE YEARS.
OKU GBAWA!
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