.........BBHS Old Boys Defend N1,000 Security Levy, Dismiss Extortion Allegations
The leadership of the Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta Old Boys Association has thrown its weight behind the management of Baptist Boys High School over the controversial N1,000 security levy imposed on students, insisting that the contribution was collectively approved by parents and stakeholders to strengthen security within the institution.
The clarification follows public reactions and allegations circulating in some quarters that students of the school were being subjected to extortion through the compulsory levy.
In a statement issued by the National Secretary of the Old Boys Association, Otunba Wole Okunowo, the alumni body described the allegations as misleading and unfair, noting that the school has continued to battle incidents of theft and vandalism despite significant investments in infrastructure and security.
According to him, contrary to public assumptions, the school does not enjoy government-funded security arrangements, forcing stakeholders, particularly the Old Boys Association, to shoulder major responsibilities in safeguarding the institution.
He disclosed that the association had employed a minimum of four security guards to monitor the school premises day and night, while also installing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras within the school to curb criminal activities and protect school property.
“The school doesn’t have any security being paid for by the government. The Old Boys Association employed at least four security guards that man the school both day and night and also installed CCTV cameras inside the school. All these are done to support the school,” he stated.
Okunowo explained that the decision requiring each student to contribute N1,000 per session was not an arbitrary action by the school management, but a resolution reached during a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting attended by parents and relevant stakeholders.
“The decision to pay N1,000 per student was taken by the PTA, so I am surprised why there is an outrage when such decision was taken by the parents at their meeting to complement the security architecture of the school. There is nothing like extortion there,” he added.
The school management had earlier clarified that the security initiative became necessary after investigations revealed that some students were allegedly involved in stealing valuable school property, including chairs belonging to an entire classroom.
Authorities disclosed that the suspects were apprehended, prompting urgent discussions among stakeholders on the need to reinforce security measures within the school premises.
The management also revealed that the newly recruited security personnel had already begun producing results, citing the recent apprehension of some students allegedly involved in gambling activities on the school premises. The matter, according to the school, remains under investigation.
The Old Boys Association further urged critics and concerned members of the public to visit the institution and assess the level of infrastructural investment and rehabilitation carried out by alumni members over the past five years.
“My brother, I will implore you to visit the school to see the massive investment the Old Boys Association has committed to the school in the last five years and see the extent of damages and stealing by both internal and external people,” Okunowo stated.
He stressed that the responsibility of preserving the school’s facilities and moral standards rests on all stakeholders, including the government, alumni, parents, teachers, and students.
“Everybody is a stakeholder — government, Old Boys Association, parents, teachers, and students,” he said.
Observers say the controversy surrounding the levy has once again highlighted the growing security and infrastructural challenges facing public schools, as communities and alumni associations increasingly step in to support educational institutions amid limited government resources.
There's no any PTA meeting that was held, the information of paying 1,000 for security was just passed to parents through the platform that was created by the school principal, also parents have been paying 1000 for development levy every term and now adding another 1000, another 1,000 for CBT Test, lesson fee 1,500, that is 4500 in a government school. Or maybe they've replace the development levy with security levy, please help us to ask the school management, thanks.
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