Emmanuel ClementÂ
It was an atmosphere of pure joy, excitement and emotion at St. Paul Anglican Primary School, Isagatedo, Isolo, Lagos, as the Rotary Club of Okota turned a routine school morning assembly into a carnival of hope.
Investigator news reports that the club, in its usual manner of selfless service, flagged off its Basic Education and Literacy Project for the 2026-2027 Rotary Year with massive donations of high-quality school bags and complete writing materials to all 90 pupils of the school.
The event, which is part of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus and held in commemoration of September as Basic Education and Literacy Month, was aimed at welcoming the pupils back to school after the long holiday and easing the burden on parents.
Clad in their uniforms and singing thank-you songs, the pupils could not hide their excitement as they received brand new school bags, notebooks, pencils, biros and erasers.
The Headmistress of the school, who could not hide her joy,described the gesture as divine and timely.
“I want to say thank you for everything to the Rotary Club of Okota. We thank you for the package you gave to us; it is marvelous. We can see that you are great,” she said emotionally.
“I thank you because Rotary Club of Okota came here to wipe away the tears of the parents.
Many of them could not even afford the bags. It is marvelous to us. When you look at that bag, it is a very high quality. I have not seen such a bag anywhere. I was overwhelmed and excited. Thank you, and God bless you.”
According to her, the intervention came at a time when many parents are struggling to cope with the high cost of back-to-school items due to the current economic realities.
She noted that some pupils had been coming to school with torn bags and incomplete writing materials before the Rotary intervention.
“This is not just a bag to these children, it is dignity, it is confidence, it is motivation to come to school every day,” she added.
Speaking on the rationale behind the project,President of the Rotary Club of Okota, 2026-2027, Rotarian Abidemi Ibrahim Sogunle ,said the club is determined to make education attractive and accessible to every child in the community.
“Based on the theme of Rotary, which is Basic Education and Literacy Month, we want to ensure we execute projects every month in line with the Rotary theme.
We are presenting school bags and writing materials to the students of St. Paul Anglican School, Isagatedo. We want them to be good ambassadors to the country,” he stated.
“For the population here presently, there are 90 students, and we are giving all of them school bags. We are also going to three other schools: Ronik International School, Power and Glory International School, and Okota Senior Secondary School.
This is Series 1, and we are completing Series 2 by next week for the other three schools.”
Rotarian Sogunle charged the pupils to remain focused on their education, describing education as the master key to greatness.
“My advice to them is to listen to their teachers and ensure they don’t play with their education. Anything they need, God will give it to them, but they must first ensure they are educated. Once they are educated, anything is possible.”    
Speaking with newsmen,Rotarian Nofiu Okunade , Past President of the Club and Service Project Chair for the 2026-2027 Rotary year, said the choice of St. Paul Anglican School was intentional and emotional.
“This movement is part of the seven areas of focus of Rotary, which is basic education and literacy. September is basic education month, and we decided to do this to give back to the students for a welcome back to school after their holiday.”
“We brought writing materials, books, pencils, biros, erasers, and bags for them to use for school. This primary school happens to be where our immediate past president attended when he was young; he is an old student of this school, so he decided to pick it to give back to his alma mater,” Okunade revealed.
He said Rotary believes that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world and no child should be left behind because of lack of basic materials.
We also advise them that just as our past president came back as an old student, they should do the same when they grow up and become adults.”
For the pupils, it was a dream come true. Their faces lit up with joy as they proudly strapped their new bags to their backs.
One of the beneficiaries, Oni Oluwashemilore Oluwa, expressed her gratitude in an innocent but touching way:
“I feel happy because Rotary Club of Okota gave us these things, God will bless them for what they have done. This new bag is better than the old one. God will bless them and provide for them,” she said, clutching her new bag tightly.
Other pupils were seen comparing bags, smiling and thanking the Rotarians in chorus, a scene that melted the hearts of teachers and parents present.
The event ended with group photographs, songs of appreciation and prayers from the pupils and teachers, who described the Rotary Club of Okota as a true friend of the community living up to Rotary’s motto: Service Above Self.
Those in attendance include Rotarian Loretta Omalu,PP Nofiu Okunade, PP Jide Oderinde, PAG Busola Satuyi , wife of the President, Impact President, wife of the President, Dr Omolara Sogunle, Dr Akinyemi, friend to the President, Rotarian Susan Ikechukwu, PP Anthonia Anthony, Rotarian Adeoye and Rotarian Miracle Edozie-Ofoegbu, Rotarian Ezekiel Onilude and Rotarian Adebisi
