Cakasa Nigeria Company Limited (CNC) recently refurbished and upgraded the Government Girls Secondary School, Oromenike Library.
This is part of its corporate social responsibility, to celebrate its 40 years of service and to provide educational support for children in public schools in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of enhancing quality education and encouraging gender equality.
Students at the reading section of the library 
Students at the reading section of the library 
The upgrade of the furniture was fabricated at the Port Harcourt Directorate yard by the Volunteers of CEF. Upon completion, a presentation ceremony was done by CEF to officially handover the library to the School.
The presentation Ceremony took place on Thursday, 17th October 2019 at the Government Girls Secondary School, Oromenike, D-Line, Port Harcourt.
The ceremony was attended by Staff of Cakasa Nigeria Company & CEF, Teachers & Students of the school as well representatives from the River State School Management Board.
During the handover ceremony, Engr. Gabriel Nkanyimuo represented by Engr. Okorie, enjoined the students of the school to develop good reading habits that would encourage them to become future leaders.
Quoting American journalist and woman rights’ advocate, Margaret Fuller as saying, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader,” he said, “This saying is so true as we know that the most phenomenal leaders of our planet have been avid readers and authors in their own right.”
He also encouraged the girls to aspire to become like notable prominent African women like Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who are leaders in their individual fields but are rabid readers and writers also.
Furthermore, he told the audience that Cakasa Nigeria Company Limited marking its 40th year of operations, had through its CSR arm, Cakasa Ebenezer Foundation, embarked on the refurbishment and upgrading of the school’s library, installing ultra-modern furniture and making an ample donation of library books.
This, he said, was in keeping with the company’s policy of lending educational support to children in public schools in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of enhancing quality education and encouraging gender equality.
He said that, as a result, the Government Girls Secondary School, Oromenike, Port Harcourt was adopted as one of its intervention centres among others in Rivers State and other parts of the country.
Engr. Nkanyimuo disclosed that CEF will promote reading-inspiring programmes such as reading clubs, spelling bee competitions, essay writing, presentation skills and the celebration of the International Literacy Day to ensure that the library is put to proper use.
Mrs Helen Egbe, the Executive Director of Cakasa Ebenezer Foundation, in her remarks listed the focal areas of CEF activities. These include Community Development, Education, Empowerment, Health and Research. She stated also that CEF was ardent in its vision of Transforming the Society and Changing Lives.
She stated also that the library refurbishment and upgrade includes the following:
- Provision of Library Shelves.
- Provision of Library Tables and Chairs for students
- Provision of Table and Chair for the Librarian.
- Provision of additional Electrical Fittings
- Provision of various Biology Charts
- Provision of two sets of Encyclopedia of Arts
- Provision of Academic Books in Mathematics, English Language, Chemistry, Civic Education, Further Mathematics, Commerce, History, Accounting, Marketing, Music, Fishery, Dyeing & Bleaching, Book Keeping, Store Management, Insurance, Data Processing, Geography, etc.
- Provision of Motivational and Story Books.
In her remarks at the handover ceremony, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School, Mrs. Boma Ivanhoe expressed the appreciation of the entire staff and students of the school.
She promised that the library would be put to good use by the students and would go a long way to helping the students meet their educational aspirations.
The Library was officially declared open for use. Students of the school showed excitement at the newly refurbished library with most of them expressing a keen desire to make optimum use of the library.
The library will further enhance quality education and encourage gender equality in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whilst giving the students access to sources of print material to support reading and inquiring learning, improve the students’ academic performance and overall success of the school.
It will also encourage and stimulate other corporate organizations to make conscious effort at ameliorating the plight of the vulnerable in the society whilst enabling Cakasa to meet its overall goals and desires of literacy in indigent communities and Nigeria.