The Awgu Town Youths Association has built and donated three classroom blocks each to two secondary schools in Awgu community to encourage reading and learning amongst students.

The blocks of classroom were built at Urban Secondary School, Awgu, and Urban Girls’ Secondary School, Ugwuleshi, both in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Receiving the classroom block on behalf of the state government on Wednesday, Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Mr Ogbuagu Anikwe, expressed joy over the gesture.

Anikwe said that the gesture by the youths of Awgu community was unprecedented in the present time when most people and residents of community were feeling the current impact of nation’s economic downturn.

He noted that state government had always shown interest in Awgu, adding that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp was sited in Awgu though a Federal Government project but had always been maintained by the state government.

“The State Government has moved the state College of Education Technical in Enugu to Awgu and promised more facilities to Awgu soon,” Anikwe, who was represented by Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Information, Mr Destiny Ajah, said.

Similarly the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Awgu LGA, Mr. Ugonna Ibe, also expressed gratitude on the donation; describing the gesture as the first of its kind in the history of the entire Awgu community.

Ibe urged youths from difference areas in the state to emulate Awgu youths, adding that what they had ought to be recorded in the state’s archive.

In an address, Mr Emeka Ikpenwa, Principal of Urban Secondary School, Awgu, said few months after he came on board they started experiencing a surge in population of the school.

Ikpenwa stressed that accommodation problem was so severe that at a point, he stopped giving admission to students.

“Then, I started appealing to various bodies including government to build new classroom blocks for the school as the school management cannot build them due to paucity of funds,” he said.

Earlier while officially handing over the classrooms, the National President of the association, Chief Sunday Nwankwo, said the association is not a social club, rather a non-partisan pressure group comprising of people that pull their financial and material resources

together for the development of Awgu.

Nwankwo explained that Awgu town is made up of two constituencies Agbada Awgu and Ugwuleshi Awgu; adding that the two buildings were sited in the two constituencies.

He however, said that the main aim of organising the youth association was to foster the spirit of oneness and promote mutual understanding among its members and the entire people of Awgu in general.

Nwankwo said that membership of the association, which is most home-based youths and have lasted for over 20 years, was open to all sons and daughters who by birth or marriage are indigenes of Awgu town.

“Plans have been concluded for the purchase and free distribution of exercise books to pupils in primary school in the Awgu to promote learning and reading further,” he said.

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