How Sultan Hanafi Royal Schools shine light on poor Lagos Community

Henry Okonkwo recently visited Imowonla, a rural community in the Ikorodu area of Lagos. In this report, he highlights how a school has been able to assist the community in terms of educational opportunities and rural development.  

Sultan Hanafi Royal Schools, Lagos are academic centres that exemplify how education can kickstart progress, not just in families, but also in society, at large.

The Primary School arm is located in Imowonla, while the Secondary School is located at Gbodu, along Imowonla Road. They’re seven minute’s drive apart. Both schools  do not only  bring light through impactful education to children, but also attracts development to the community.

- Advertisement -

Imowonla community is a struggling neighbourhood in Ikorodu, this is because of lack of basic amenities for the bustling population of the town. But, in the midst of this slum, the Sultan Hanafi Royal Schools seem to have taken an active role in improving the lives of those within the community they serve.

The core mission of the schools according to Zakariya Olanrewaju Anofi,  its founder/proprietor,  is to provide a holistic education to students through both Islamic and secular knowledge via rigorous research and effective teaching methods. One of the major services the school provides is the Qur’an memorisation programme. This, Anofi said was done, to make it possible for parents to get their children grounded in the Qur’an close to them instead of sending them outside the country or the northern part of Nigeria for Qur’an memorisation.

- Advertisement -

The schools, he said,  also strive to promote ethical behaviour, instil strong values in students, and contribute to the development of a secure, informed and progressive society in collaboration with the government.

Our correspondent observed that the school’s activities go beyond the classroom and could  probably serve as a model for how education can not only transform the lives of students but also bring about positive social change in neglected communities.

The learning environment at Sultan Hanafi Royal School appears conducive, secure. The school is  equipped with numerous facilities and experienced teachers. It runs day and boarding facilities for secondary students, where they create a supportive and immersive learning environment.

The schools have two sections: the Secular and the Islamic and Arabic School sections. The secular section offers Nursery, Primary, and Secondary levels of education, and operates Monday to  Friday, while the other section, dedicated to Islamic and Arabic school operates on weekdays and weekends to accommodate different schedules.

Shedding light on the reason for establishing a co-educational facility,  Zakariya  Anofi,   said the idea  was rooted on preserving the heritage and philanthropic values of his late father  “The schools have been named after my father, Anofi Aliu Akano. He was not really educated, he could only read and write in the Yoruba language, but he had the opportunity to work with some white men when he was at Nigeria Port Authority (NPA).”

READ ALSO: UK University Where Nigerian Students Are Thrown Off For Paying Fees ‘Hours Late’

He said, “My father rose to become a clerk in the NPA. He was well-loved by the white men, but his lack of education hindered him from being promoted beyond that position. So that encouraged him to ensure that we, his children, got educated. Consequently, he trained us with everything God gifted him.

“Sadly, my father died while my younger brother and I were serving the country. His death was quite painful to us, and I felt the only way I could appreciate his legacy was to build a school and name it after him. This is to honour him and for him to benefit eternally for his good deeds and sacrifices for us.

“My father was a workaholic and family-oriented man. He believed so much in acts of charity that he had no savings for himself. We learnt that from him. The nature of our family is to share the little we have with the people around us. We all embraced this act because we observed that the more we give, the more we get blessed by God.”

Parents who spoke to our correspondent said the school has impacted positively on their children, especially in the area of religious training, adding to them  great values like creativity, leadership, engagement, versatility, ethical behaviour, and reliability.

One of them is Mr Walid Ojewumi, an engineer, who enrolled his children since 2018.  According to him, “I used to have three of my children in Sultan Hanafi School, but my eldest child graduated and went to another secondary school because the  Secondary School wasn’t ready at that time. But, now the Secondary school is ready, we plan to enrol him back there.

“One thing I look out for in schools is the calibre of teachers they have. This is because most schools don’t employ quality teachers. So for me certified, skilled and professional teachers is an important criterion, and I see all that in the school because, in most of their recruitments, they look for teachers with NCE or BSc-EDU,” he added.

Another parent, Dr Ismail Akeem Seriki who also has three  children in the school explained  that he had to withdraw his two children from big schools and enrolled them in the royal school.

“I withdrew my children because I was paying so much fees but the money paid wasn’t commensurate with the academic value we were seeing in the children. But since we enrolled into Sultan Hanafi Royal School, we’ve seen so much difference because they have improved so much academically, and are more brilliant.

“Most of us parents have confirmed that the values and morals that the school instils in our children are more than the money we pay. And it has been inspiring for me as a parent. So I would recommend the school to anybody. They should key into bringing their children to learn there because they won’t ever regret making that decision,” Dr Seriki advised.

 Anofi said the school recognises that progress in the town cannot be brought about solely by education alone, thus they also contribute their quota in improving the quality of life for residents by grading the roads and beautifying the Imowonla community.

Mr Adebisi Ismail Adeniyi, one of the Community Development Associations chairmen in the Imowonla community affirmed that the school has contributed immensely to the development of the  community. “Sultan Hanafi Royal School has been actively involved in humanitarian and community development activities, Mr Adeniyi said.

“They don’t only ensure quality education for our children, but they also offer free lectures to residents of our community. They teach people about governance, life expectancy, environmental awareness and many other impactful topics. And aside from the lectures, they also give free lunches to people. So you can imagine how beneficial this is for a vulnerable community like ours. Also during the COVID-19 lockdown, the school  was hugely involved in caring for and feeding the poor.’

“The schools also construct and maintain the roads, and provide security within our neighbourhood. Indeed, this school has been a shining light in our community,” the CDA chairman said.

To Anofi,  education is the best way to liberate and empower the poor. “I have a passion for education, and I love having educated people around me. This is because I strongly believe that education is synonymous with liberation. So the idea of establishing the school came to me and my younger brother several years back during the Gov Babatunde Fashola era. However, we couldn’t achieve our plans due to the huge resources it required

“But I kept this in mind until a few years ago when I felt there was a need for me to go back to that project, and give back to society. It is my strong belief that governments alone can not provide education to all its citizens. And in Sultan Hanafi Royal School, we want to contribute to the development of a secure, informed, and progressive society in collaboration with the government,” he said.