Akure, 10 March 2023 - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is making great strides towards eliminating child labour in Nigeria through its Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Supply Chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project. The latest accomplishment of the project is the successful renovation of Oke Agunla Community School, Ondo State.

The L. A. Primary School, Oke Agunla, Ondo State, was established in 1955 and has remained the only school in the community to date. However, years of neglect have led to increasing deterioration of the school building, with all the classrooms, except one, without a roof. In no time, parents withdrew their children from the school as the only available classroom for teaching and learning also had leaky roofs and was overcrowded. The dire situation of the school threatened to deprive the children of their right to education and increased the risk of child labour.

But thanks to the ILO-ACCEL Africa project, the school has been renovated, and 110 children have been enrolled in school with the provision of back-to-school kits such as school bags, textbooks, uniforms, notebooks, sandals, and socks. This action is a significant step forward and highlights the importance of education in the elimination of child labour, as emphasised in the ILO Convention 182, on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.

At the handover of the newly renovated school the Director of the ILO Abuja Country Office for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liaison office for ECOWAS, Ms. Vanessa Phala, emphasized the importance of education in the elimination of child labour. She noted that almost 30% of children aged 5 to 11 years, and 35% of children aged 12 to 14 years in child labour were out of school in Nigeria. The ACCEL Africa project aims to address this problem by enrolling and re-enrolling children at risk of child labour in schools, providing them with back-to-school kits, and renovating community schools.

Ms. Phala acknowledged that the impact of child labour on children's safety and development is devastating and affects the country's collective future. She expressed hope that the children of Oke Agunla would grow up to be the leaders their village desired, as well as the citizens of whom their country could be proud.

Representatives of the Ondo State Government and the community expressed their deep appreciation to ILO-ACCEL Africa for the great support to quality education in the state. The Regent of Oke Agunla, Her Royal Majesty, Olufunmilayo Olowookere, thanked ILO Abuja and ACCEL Africa for the honour bestowed upon the community through the renovation of the community school.

With the renovation of six classrooms and eight toilet facilities in the school premises, the Head Teacher of the school, Pastor Bello Ayodele, revealed that the enrolment figure of the school has already increased. The Director of Inspectorate, Mrs. Olaolu Olaitan, representing the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, encouraged the pupils of the school and members of Oke Agunla community to make good use of the opportunity presented by the newly renovated school, so that their future would indeed be great.

The renovation of the L.A. Primary School, Oke Agunla, was made possible by the generous support of the Government of the Netherlands.