By Clara NWACHUKWU

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, SEOF, has commenced the second phase of the donation of study materials to schools in Nigeria, cutting across primary, secondary, polytechnic and universities.

The education materials are courtesy of the United States non-governmental organisation, NGO, Books for Africa, BfA, and are being shipped into the country and distributed to beneficiary schools by SEOF.

Receiving a delegation of Books for Africa, BFA, at the Chrome Group Headquarters in Abuja for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU recently, the Chairman of thee oil and gas group, Sir Emeka Offor, said SEOF and BFA will collaborate with the NGO to distribute the education materials within the next 24 months.

According to him, “This second phase of the distribution of the education materials, which include books, computers and a host of other equipment, is mainly for the South-South region. In the third phase we will go to another region and even beyond Nigeria to other neighbouring countries because education is key to national development.”

He recalled that the first donations were made in June, and promised that the books will not be sold and will get to the target beneficiaries.

The Project Manager, SEOF, Mr. Inno Anoliefo, who introduced the guests, said that SEOF will be the major partner of BFA in Nigeria and the West African region, as the foundation will be responsible for the distribution of the study materials and other facilities in the sub-region.

He said the intension of the partners is to enhance the quality of education in its entirety in Nigeria as well as the sub-region, adding that if a long term improvement is to be achieved in the education sector, then there has to be access to study materials.

As he put it, “If we make books and other study materials available to pupils across all education cadre, then the quality and standard of education will rise. All schools will be equipped with enough study materials to relieve government of some of the burden of education development.”

He also explained that the BFA team is on a fact finding and consolidation mission with a view to identifying other areas of need in the education sector and easing supply issues.”

He said that education is at the heart of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility, adding that SEOF has made educational donations to many tertiary institutions worth hundreds of millions of naira.

Also speaking, the Coordinator, SEOF, Honorable Tony Obi, who revealed that the value of the expected materials to be distributed in this phase is about $7million, also said that by the end of next year, the partners would have distributed materials worth $21million.

The Executive Director, BFA, Mr. Pat Plonski, who led a five-man team, with representatives from the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, IFESH, said, said the goal of the American NGO is to provide Africa with as many book as possible to help the education system in the continent.

He noted that given Nigeria’s huge population, BFA expected the country to get more books, but pointed out that this can only be facilitated with the support of local partners like SEOF.

Plonski said, “Nigeria is getting the single largest donation this time around, as SEOF has agreed to pay for the shipment and freight of the educational materials. Hitherto, Ghana and Ethiopia used to get the largest donations. We have already sent one consignment of eight containers and we are planning to send a second consignment of 16 containers.”

He revealed that the BFA team will also meet with the US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terence McCulley, to intimate him the NGO’s activities in Nigeria, adding that the organization is a grassroots one and that book and materials donated are from individuals, schools, libraries, corporations and publishers.

He said that BFA partnership with SEOF will last for as long as there was an education need and partners continue to cooperate, adding that the mission of the latter “is to end the books famine in Africa and we will continue until this is achieved.”

Commenting, Dr. Mike Essien, also from BFA, commended the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation for accepting the responsibility of shipping the books to Nigeria, noting that the country has produced excellent students who have been able to hold their forte in various fields of endeavour.