By Itohan Abara-Laserian
Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc has donated fully equipped Chemistry, Physics, Home Economics and Agriculture laboratories to Mafoluku Grammar School, Oshodi, Lagos.
The laboratories were formally handed over to the school on Friday.
The Group Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, in his address at the formal handing over ceremony said the initiative would bolster Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the country.
The chairman was represented at the event by his Special Assistant, Mr. Hamid Adebowale.
Afolabi underscored the corporate commitment of the company to foster innovation and practical learning within the Nigerian public school system.
He described the donation as a strategic investment in the nation’s future.
Afolabi noted that Nigeria’s aspirations to become a global technological and industrial powerhouse depended heavily on the resources devoted to STEM education at the secondary level.
“At SIFAX Group and SAHCO, we believe that education remains one of the most powerful tools for transforming lives.
“Beyond classrooms and textbooks, students need access to practical learning environments where knowledge is tested, curiosity is awakened, and innovation is born,” he said.
Afolabi said the initiative was part of a broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy aimed at nation-building through community investment.
He commended the school’s management and the leadership of SAHCO for their collaboration in bringing the project to fruition.
He said by providing these resources, the organisation aimed to strengthen the efforts of teachers and administrators in nurturing young minds.
This, he said, would contribute to a stronger economy and a more scientifically literate society.
Afolabi encouraged them to see the new facilities as a springboard for their dreams.
“Within these laboratories lie opportunities for discovery. These laboratories are yours.
“Use them responsibly and relate with them boldly. Ask questions that seem too big. Run experiments that fail, and run them again,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Business Development, SAHCO, Mr. Babatunde Afolabi, said the launch of the company’s CSR initiative reflected the transformative power of education.
“Through this project, SAHCO is proud to support the equipping and upgrading of four key science laboratories, covering the disciplines of Chemistry, Physics, Home Economics, and Agricultural Science.
“These laboratories are not just rooms filled with equipment, they are spaces where ideas will come to life, where students will experiment, innovate, and develop skills that will serve them for a lifetime.
“Together, these facilities will create a more conducive and engaging learning environment, one that nurtures talent, builds confidence, and prepares students to compete in an increasingly knowledge-driven world,” he said.
The Managing Director of SAHCO, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, described education as the bedrock of any society.
Aboderin said the company was starting with Mafoluku Grammar School, with the hope of partnering more schools around the airport community.
“We have just started. We will do more with them and we are rolling out different programmes in the educational space.
“We are also the company that has number one in SIWES in employment of science students in Nigeria and also, we want to do more so that people have practical experience and a passion,” she said.
The Principal of the school, Mrs. Kehinde Obidakin, said the laboratories would inspire great achievements in the future.
Obidakin expressed excitement at the gesture and promised that the laboratories would be put to good use.
Also speaking, the Head Boy of the school, Master Alex Olawale, thanked the company for providing the apparatus, which would aid practical sessions.
Olawale assured that the equipment would be put to maximum use.
