Orimerunmu Community Wants Secondary School and Safe Crossing

Residents of Orimerunmu Community in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have asked the state government to set up a public secondary school and build a pedestrian bridge at Olowotedo Junction. They believe this will help schoolchildren deal with the difficulties they face in the area.

The residents made their appeal while talking to a PUNCH Metro reporter during a visit to their community on Monday.

Orimerunmu is several kilometers from Ibafo, which forces residents and schoolchildren to pass through Olowotedo Junction to reach secondary schools in nearby communities.

Residents said the lack of a government secondary school has made it necessary for children to travel to Ibafo, Mowe, Magboro, and Ojodu Berger for their education. This puts them at risk from transportation issues and the dangers of crossing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

A parent, Iyabo Tolani, explained that her daughter goes to Ibafo Community High School and has to walk from their house to Olowotedo bus stop before taking a bus to school. Tolani said she spends around N700 daily on her daughter’s transport and sometimes has to keep her at home if she can't pay.

She said, "The major issue is crossing the expressway. They don’t usually stop at Ibafo; they drop at Ago Igbala because that is the fastest route to the school. Only God is saving them every day. Sometimes, if I don’t have enough money, she will stay at home."

Another parent, Kehinde Bakare, shared that the daily journey is stressful because they must cross the expressway. Bakare, who takes her child to the bus stop in the morning and waits at Olowotedo in the afternoon, called for a pedestrian bridge at the junction.

She said, "We are appealing to the government to establish a government secondary school here in Orimerunmu and also construct a pedestrian bridge for crossing at Olowotedo Junction."

A student, Aminat, who studies at Community High School in Ibafo, also mentioned that crossing the expressway is a major problem for students from the community. Mrs Shittu noted the lack of a government secondary school adds extra pressure on families.

She said, "The government secondary school we don’t have in Orimerunmu is not good at all. Community High School in Ibafo is where our children are going. The government should please help us to intervene."

Another parent, Elizabeth, talked about how families whose kids go to schools outside Orimerunmu struggle with transport costs. She said children going to schools in Berger, Magboro, Mowe, and Ibafo sometimes get stuck in traffic or face a shortage of buses.

On the efforts to secure a secondary school for the community, the Secretary to the Baale-in-Council, Ariyo Olalekan, said residents have written to the Ministry of Education multiple times but have not received any reply.

"We have written a letter to the Ministry of Education several times, but till now there has been no feedback. There was even a time we had a link from Abuja. We wrote the letter and sent it there, but now, no response," he said.

Olalekan added that the existing primary school also serves children from nearby communities like Oriyanrin, Amu, and Ilate. He mentioned that the community has land available for a secondary school, though some parts are already occupied.

He also noted that a company in the area built a storey building with about four or five classrooms, which residents hope can be used to start Junior Secondary School classes. According to him, the risk of crossing the expressway raises parents' worries about sending their kids to schools outside the community.

"The crossing of the expressway has been claiming so many children’s lives. There is no pedestrian bridge in Olowotedo yet. So we are appealing to the government, either state or local government, to please help us," Olalekan said.

He urged the government to establish a secondary school in Orimerunmu and create safer ways for students to cross the expressway.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Prof Abayomi Adelaja Arigbabu, could not be reached for comments. Calls to his phone were not answered, and a text message sent to him had not been replied to as of the time of writing this report.