Lagos
29 MARCH 2023
Today I had the opportunity to visit St Saviours School in Ikoyi. This COBIS member school was originally opened in 1951 and continues to serve the expatriate and wealthy families of Lagos' society. It's location over looking the Five Cowrie Creek and the Lekki-Ikoyi Link-Bridge is wonderful.
It's a two form entry primary school with an expatriate and Nigerian qualified teacher team in each year group. The moto of 'To Always Excel' underpins the aims, mission and values of the school. I loved visiting this family school; the students were so respectful, happy, calm and focussed. I saw high quality student outcomes and a wealth of evidence of all round achievement amongst the students' endeavours. Craig Heaton, the Headteacher showed me round and gave plenty of information about the opportunities and challenges of leading this unique school. It's a shame there wasn't more time to get to know the school and its staff better. They were preparing for a well-deserved Easter break.
www.stsavioursschikoyi.org
I spent the afternoon at the Nike Art and Cultural Centre in Lekki. This centre was founded by Nike Okundaye, (the picture below of her is made of tiny beads), an accomplished artist who uses richly detailed and arresting batik images to represent the views towards women in Nigerian society. The centres run apprenticeships to support aspiring artists and help them to become economically secure within their craft. The centre is a treasure trove of African artists' work and a real testament to the range and wealth of mastery within the are field. I was in heaven wandering through the four floors of the centre, stacked full of incredible work. The grounds house the sculptures which are many and varied. Throughout the afternoon, many people visited to seek purchases and to take photos amongst this extraordinary setting.
I did all the travelling today by Uber taxi. Though costing more than on local transport, this worked well and was definitely worth the ease and time. It also gave me the opportunity to speak with the drivers about their thoughts on the election outcomes. Their responses were passionately against the outcome; with concerns for the election process, the continuation of the current situation, the lack of awareness of the struggles of the people of the country and an emotional frustration around the waste of potential within their society. They all wanted the international community to intervene to bring democracy to Nigeria.
On route today, I also gained a visa for the Cameroon. The embassy is open from 09:00 to 15:00 and visas can be provided on the same day - I just waited. It costs 240 euros for three months and multiple entries.