WOBA93 Reunion

WOBA 93 30th Reunion Anniversary.

My name is Edirin Michael Digba I am a Senior Quantity Surveyor working in the construction industry and an Assistant Coach with Northfleet Eagles under 11s in the United Kingdom.

I am an Alumni of Western Boys High School Benin City, Nigeria in Africa.

We are currently celebrating our 30th anniversary and have earmarked some projects to help the current students.

We intend to buy.

1. Ride On Lawn Mowers for cutting the grass within the school and

2. Exercise books to be distributed amongst all the students.

I would like to tell you a short story.

Over 30 years ago (seems like yesterday) I was in secondary school and attended Western Boys High School in Benin City Nigeria in Africa.

We were required to do compulsory manual labour with a machete to cut the grass around the school. This was no ordinary grass, the grass was green, big, and strong. Each class was given a portion which was shared among the students. You were required to complete your section by close of day a typical portion would be about 1.5m (5 feet) by 20m (65 feet).

Initially, I was exempted from undertaking manual labour (staff privilege) don’t ask me until my mum who was a staff was transferred from the school, so in my third year (Class 3 or year 9 in the UK system) I had my first taste of manual labour. It was a terrible experience, to say the least, I can’t recall ever completing my portion without the help of friends. I had blisters on my hands, my body ached in addition to lost valuable time that should have been spent studying.

As a British Born Nigerian who went back to Nigeria this was shocking (there are examples of popular British-born Nigerians who have gone back to Nigeria to school and have had similar experiences or a story to tell for example ANTHONY JOSHUA in an interview admitted he faced a "tough" ordeal at a Nigerian boarding school there is also Dele Ali and some friends I have met in the UK.

Fast forward 30 years down the line nothing much has changed. The Nigerian Government in its 1999 constitution under Chapter 1, Article 34(4) provides for the protection of a child from hazardous and exploitative work. However, its implementation has been called into question by academics.

Looking back and with my understanding now I would say we were abused.

Manual Labour also child Labour amount to Child abuse. For example, in the UK we have the “Children and Young Persons Act 1933” This Act prevents children from doing any work before the close of school hours or the day in which he is required to attend school. In effect, school time is meant for schoolwork.

Manual/child labour is destructive to children’s intellectual and physical development a study was conducted and it concluded that there is a relationship between manual labour and academic performance.

This fundraising is two folds.

1. To raise money on behalf of the set of 1993 Western Boys High School “WOBA1993” to purchase at least 2 Ride On lawn mowers for the school thereby eliminating the need to use students to undertake manual labour thereby giving the children more academic time and improving their mental health.

2. To procure and distribute exercise books to all the children in the school. A press release dated 27th May 2022 on UNICEF concluded that approximately 54% of children in Nigeria as “multidimensionally poor”. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/press-releases/new-evidence-situation-child-deprivation-nigeria

Your money would go a long way in touching the lives of children in the school and they would be forever grateful.

I would also continue to support kids in the UK in my role as an Assistant coach for the under-11s at Northfleet Football Club.

I would be posting videos once these items are procured; the mowers would be presented to the school whilst the exercise books would be distributed directly to the school children.

Thank you for your support.

Regards

Michael Digba

On behalf of the WOBA93 30th Reunion Committee & EXCO.