By Olivia Obijiaku
The Catholic Bishop of Zaria, Most Rev Dr Habila Tyiakwonaboi Daboh has taken practical and positive steps to provide better standard of education in the diocese, having declared state of emergency in the education sector, nearly two months ago.His Lordship who was in St John Muchia, Zaria on Sunday 12th May 2024 to commission bunks for increasing number of students in St John’s School intimated that his passion for education and its importance informed his decision to pay focused attention to the sector.
He commended the Parish Priest of St John’s, Revd. Fr. Peter Ogwuche and parishioners for the sacrifices they have continued to make towards the establishment and sustenance of the school even as he called on well-meaning groups and individuals to support in cash and in kind.“I looked around and I saw what you have done.” He conveyed. “You have done so much.
It is because of the passion that I have for education I have decided to declare education, state of emergency in the diocese of Zaria, because there is so much to be done on education. I spoke to friends and they said we should do something about these children.
The money for the bunks did not come from Zaria diocese. It money came from friends.”“I am calling on people in the diocese, people of goodwill to assist us to develop our schools because if we fail to develop these children, we fail to develop our future.
A good number of them are from the interior and being people from the interior, they are not so exposed to life. They are not so exposed to social amenities. We stand better chance to assist them so that they grow and we will be happy with what we shall see in the future. I need your support. For the sake of St John’s and for the sake of my children, I am calling on all of you to work together with me.
I cannot it alone. So I am calling upon you to assist us so that we make the future of our children brighter. There are lots and lots of things we can do for them.”“Meeting with the knights of the Church, some of them offered to give televisions, some of them offered to give ceiling fans, some of them offered to give lots of things for these our students.
Nothing is too small. Do not think that you do not have anything to assist these children with. I will not stop asking friends for assistance. I will keep asking so that we have a brighter future. Let us contribute to develop our future in these children.”Bishop Daboh charged the school children to reciprocate the efforts made to provide them with good education by remaining morally upright; taking their studies seriously; and by shunning examination malpractice.In his vote of thanks, Fr Ogwuche thanked God for His enabling grace; the bishop for supporting them and providing the money for the bunks; and the parishioners for supporting the priests and the school project, accounting that the number of students grew from fifteen to four hundred and twenty within four years.
