What we saw that day changed us forever. Children between 6 and 12 sat on the bare ground under a tree, their teacher using the cracked wall of a collapsed classroom as a blackboard. Some of us shed tears.

Right there, we decided: We would adopt and rebuild Oremeji Primary School 2.

From Collapse to Catalyst

In just six months – cutting through layers of government bureaucracy, battling security challenges, and even replacing stolen ceiling fans on commissioning day! We delivered a modern school building:

• Six fully furnished classrooms with whiteboards
• An office for the head teacher
• Toilets for boys, girls, and staff
• A borehole with water reservoir
• Power supply

We didn’t stop there. We gave every child uniforms, shoes, books, and school bags. Later, through our Airtel Employee Volunteer Scheme, staff donated a mini-library, taught classes, and inspired students with career talks. An ICT lab soon followed, with computers and access to free, government-approved learning materials.

The Ripple Effect

Enrollment rose. Academic performance improved. Teachers began winning laurels. Most importantly, the small spark ignited bigger change: the then First Lady of Lagos, Mrs. Folasade Fashola, apparently persuaded her husband to rehabilitate other contiguous schools in the complex. Over time, the Lagos State Government transformed the entire landscape with massive new school blocks.

When I revisited Oremeji Primary School 2 last week, during a working tour of Nigeria, I was overwhelmed. Oremeji – once the pride of the complex – now looked modest, surrounded by gigantic, ultramodern buildings. And that’s exactly the point.

A Lesson in Development

What started as one bold corporate initiative grew into sustainable, government-backed transformation. Development truly begets development. No amount of darkness can cover the light of a single candle, it’s said.

That’s the power of partnerships, purpose, and persistence. The Airtel Adopt a School Program embodies all the aforementioned attributes.

And that’s why democratizing access to education must remain a collective mission – because the children of Ajegunle, and millions like them, are our future leaders.

It’s truly heartwarming that the major item on the agenda during my visit to Nigeria was a joint Media Briefing by Airtel Africa plc and Airtel Africa Foundation, where it was announced, amongst other things, that the Foundation, which is sponsored by Airtel, will adopt 100 schools across its 14 markets in Africa (10 in Nigeria) over the next 12 months, for a start.

*Emeka Oparah is the Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Africa plc.

According to Airtel Africa, Mr Oparah will manage the image of Airtel Africa in its 14 African markets, including Nigeria, as the spokesperson of the company.

Before his appointment, Emeka Oparah was the director of corporate communication and corporate social responsibility (CSR), Airtel Nigeria.

“A highly respected crisis and perception management expert, Oparah, has over 25 years’ experience in the Communications industry spanning Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations, Events, Sponsorships and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with 19 years in Airtel Nigeria. He rose from the position of Public Relations Manager to Head of PR, Events & Sponsorship and later Head of Corporate Communications & CSR before attaining his current position as the Director Corporate Communications & CSR for Airtel Nigeria, a position he has held since June 2011.

“Prior to joining Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Oparah had stints in Imo Newspapers Limited (publishers of The Statesman, Sunday Statesman and Statesman Extra); Patike Communications (a Public Relations Consulting firm), Candid Communications and Richland Communications (both Advertising Agencies) and Cadbury Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost Food and Beverages Manufacturing Company, where he worked for 8 years as Media Relations Manager.

“A Mass Communications graduate of University of Nigeria, Oparah is a member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA); International Association of Business Communicators (IABC); Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and has attended numerous courses locally and internationally in Communications, Management and Leadership.”

Recall that in April 2021 Airtel Africa appointed Olusegun Ogunsanya as CEO to replace Raghunath Mandava.