The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has completed the renovation of Oke Agunla Community School in Ondo State and enrolled 110 children at risk of child labour. This information was disclosed in a statement provided to our correspondent on Friday. At the handover ceremony, Vanessa Phala, Director of the ILO Abuja Country Office for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria, highlighted that nearly 28 % of children aged five to 11 and 35 % of those aged 12 to 14 involved in child labour are out of school. According to the latest National Modular Child Labour Survey, Nigeria has at least 15 million working children, of whom about 6 million are in child labour and half are engaged in hazardous work.
Phala emphasized the significance of education in eliminating child labour, referencing ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour. She warned that exposing children to unfair labour practices jeopardises collective safety and development, as out‑of‑school children become vulnerable to criminal influences that perpetuate illicit activities across generations.
The school’s rehabilitation was undertaken under the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour (ACCEL) Africa project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The project facilitated the enrolment and re‑enrolment of the 110 at‑risk children and provided back‑to‑school kits—including bags, textbooks, uniforms, notebooks, sandals, and socks. While the children have shown increased interest in attending school, Phala noted that the inadequate condition of the community primary school had previously dampened enthusiasm. Consequently, the ACCEL project funded the school’s renovation to promote attendance and improve academic performance.
Expressing optimism, Phala said she hopes the children of Oke Agunla will become the leaders their village desires and citizens their country can be proud of. Representing the Ondo State Government, Olaoluwa Bankole, Coordinator of the Ondo State Operations Coordinating Unit, pledged that the government will complement ILO‑ACCEL’s efforts by addressing the school’s staff shortage. He thanked ILO‑ACCEL Africa for its substantial support to quality education in the state through the renovation of Oke Agunla Community School.
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