(BY VEN. FOLUSO TAIWO)
Work at the Anglican International Academy (AIA), a registered co-educational school is at the advanced stage of completion, as all hands are on deck to complete the building of the school on target.

This is our finding when the Primate of All Nigeria Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas D. Okoh led the team of his Priests and some workers of the Church to the permanent site of the school that is along the Airport road in Abuja, to assess the level of work done so far.

One by one the work, which comprises of the Principal’s house, the Vice Principals Administration and Academic house, the administrative block, male and female hostels, the big dining hall, a multipurpose hall donated by the Afolabis, and the gigantic classroom blocks, security posts, boreholes etc., were supervised by the Primate, who left nothing out, including the fencing of the building blocks and school, flower and tree planting, roads and the bridge over the river that will link the school to a shorter route along Idu Industrial Estate.

The Primate having gone round the facility was impressed and prophesied that the school will grow and become a centre of educational excellence. He said the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has equally acquired a large expanse of land at Kweita and the fencing of the land will start soon. Primate Okoh said emphatically that the future is greater than today; adding that the Church must be committed to doing things for the future of the children, who according to him are more important.

He seized the opportunity of the school project to digress and touch on a related project, which is the Clergy Children Education Fund. He said the Priests should not feel shy in soliciting funds for the education of the children of the Clergy. He pointed out that it is not a new thing, because it has been there since the days of Catechists, where their children enjoyed free qualitative education. He said there must be continuity, supporting the Clergy to ensure that their children become something tomorrow. He mentioned so many influential persons and celebrities in the society who are children of Catechists trained by the Church, to corroborate his stand that Priests should not be apologetic or feel shy in asking for assistance to train children of the Clergy.

He said, “it is the history of the Church, it is our tradition and we should not be ashamed of it;” noting that the future of the society lies in the hands of the Vicars of today, of tomorrow and the children raised in the Vicarage or mission house. He called on the Clergy to explain, educate, sensitize and mobilize the Church to contribute to the Clergy children education fund, so as to make the ultimatum and meet the target. He encouraged the vicars, supervising priests, and different committees putting finishing touches to the building of the school to expedite action so that the ultra – modern school work will be completed on time.