ONITSHA – Igwe Chukwuemeka Ilouno, the traditional ruler of Ifitedunu Community near Onitsha in Anambra, on Thursday appealed to parents to be role models to their children and to encourage them to study.
Ilouno said this in his palace after he handed over to four primary schools in the community 20 computers and accessories donated by indigenes of the community living in the U.S.
The monarch said it would be wrong for parents to blame the youth for indolence when such parents did not invest in their future.
“The reason for doing this is simple; if you go out of this community and you go overseas, from the airport to any organisation you want to visit, they would present you with computers.
“If you go to the airport, you serve yourself to get a ticket, nobody gives you a ticket, the machines are there.
“You go and serve yourself; and if you don’t know how to use the computer definitely, you can’t serve yourself, you cannot get a ticket except you beg somebody to come and do it and you look stupid.
“And some people would be wondering why someone would beg another to give him a helping hand with obtaining a ticket.
“This is because the children over there start learning about these things from childhood; so we want to ensure our people are not left out.
“This is modern age; this is computer age; so I think that it is not enough to say your child doesn’t know anything.
“Provide him with all necessary equipment and leave him to either grow or fall,“ he said.
Ilouno, who is also the Chairman, Anambra Central Traditional Rulers Council, said that the traditional institution would continue to support Anambra government’s efforts to develop education in the state.
The monarch said that e-learning programmes had been installed in the computers to ease teaching and learning of all subjects at the primary school level.
Earlier, the Chairman of Dunukofia Council Area, Mr Chukwudi Okeke, thanked Ifitedunu people in the Diaspora for the gesture, saying it had the capacity to develop the community.
Okeke said the council would further assist in energising the schools for continuous and uninterrupted use of the computers in order to achieve the objectives of the donation.
Responding on behalf of the recipients, Mrs Nkechi Okeke, the Headmistress of Ozala Primary School, Ifitedunu, expressed gratitude to the donors and pledged that the computers would be put to productive use.
“We will protect it and make judicious use of it and send a letter to our brothers and sisters in the U.S. for this wonderful and thoughtful donation,“ she said.
The items donated are 20 computers, 20 UPS, four medium-sized power generating sets, four printers, four scanners and N240,000 cash, which was shared among the four schools. (NAN)
