The Turkish Embassy in Abuja, has on Thursday commissioned a newly renovated and equipped laboratory complex at Government Secondary School (GSS) Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

Mr Hidayet Bayratar, the Ambassador of Turkey to Nigeria, commissioned the project, which comprised four class rooms painted, a 50 kg generator installed, new inventories donated and the entire laboratories entirely renovated.

The renovation was done in collaboration with the FCT Secondary Education Board (SEB), and was completed within two weeks.

The envoy said that the renovation of GSS Wuse 3 had made it an exemplary school in the FCT, after the diligent renovation carried out by TIKA, a Turkish NGO, and SEB, within a short period of time.

“The complex looks beautiful, thanks to the dedication and hard work of those who made it to come true; we as the Turkish people have always been drawn by the wonderful culture and people of Nigeria.

“Cultural and people-to-people bridges we established, has brought us together on the common ground of humanity, and education is the powerful driver of the future and would be one of the strongest weapons for Africa’s sustainable development.

“Education is often perceived in policies agenda as a transformative goal in realising targets, Turkey supports and undertakes all efforts to promote education, which is key to realising the human potential.

“Turkish institutions and NGOs have been playing a leading role in the field of education on the continent as our ties with Africa intensify”, Bayratar said.

The Permanent Secretary, FCT, Mr Olusade Adesola, said that the investment was expected to have a drastic multiplier effect on the benefitting school and the residents of the FCT at large.

“A laboratory complex renovated and fully equipped with state-of –the –art gadgets and materials of international standard and landscaping of students’ walkway done by the Turkish Embassy, measured 1,365 sq metres here in GSS Wuse Zone 3, our nation’s capital city.

“The investment is expected to have a drastic multiplier effect on the receiving school and the residents of the FCT at large.

“ There is no gainsaying the fact that this landscape has no doubt uplifted the face of the school, thereby raising  the school’s tone to a tremendous level”, Adesola, represented by Mr Udo Atang, the Acting FCT Educational Secretary, said.

He added that with the installed gadgets in the refurbished laboratory complex, the GSS Wuse 3 had  been ”positioned to subsequently graduate students who may eventually choose careers in medicine, nursing science/midwifery, engineering and technical trades of diverse calling.

“In bringing the laboratory facility of the school to modern status, the challenge of paucity of manpower in the medical and technical areas, which the Territory is in dire need of and which has been one of the major policy thrusts of the present FCT leadership has been substantially solved”.

He assured that the FCT administration would continue to provide quality education to the teeming Nigerian youths. “We believe that by doing this, we will equip our citizens to effectively contribute their quota to national development.

Dr. Yahaya Muhammed, Chairman, FCT SEB, said that the newly commissioned renovated and equipped laboratory complex was one of the numerous initiatives of the Turkish Embassy to the promotion of quality education in Nigeria, particularly, in the FCT.

He added that SEB’s objective was to create a robust, serene and well equipped learning environment for students in federal capital.

The high point of the ceremony was a cultural dance performed by the students of GSS Wuse 3, who displayed dances from various ethnic groups in Nigeria, including the Niger Delta, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Tiv, Gbgyi and Nupe, showcasing Nigeria’s unity in diversity. (NAN)