By Ghazali Ibrahim
Surulere’s Government College Lagos (GCL) came alive as 60 students unveiled innovative projects developed during a nine-week STEM education programme supported by the SAIL Empowerment Foundation.
L-R: Mr. Olutomi Otegbade, representative of the Tutor General/ Permanent Secretary, Member, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board(LASUBEB), Dr Saheed Oladapo Ibikunle,Vice-Principal, Government College Lagos, Mrs. Ngozi Eneje, Co-Founder, SAIL Empowerment Foundation, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA, Global President GCLOBA, Mr. Jibola Bakare, and Prof. Bankole Sodipo, SAN, FCArb, at the STEM Training Cohort 1 Graduation Ceremony at Government College Lagos, Surulere on Saturday.
The students, trained in coding, robotics, and engineering design at the newly equipped STEM lab in the school, presented their work during a Demo and graduation day attended by Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA, Co-founder of SAIL Foundation, education officials, alumni, and parents.
PHOTO Caption: Co-Founder, SAIL Empowerment Foundation, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, FCA, Global President GCLOBA, Mr. Jibola Bakare, Chief Impact Officer, SAIL Empowerment Foundation, Mr. Deji Abisola, other eminent guests, flanked by graduands of the STEM Training Cohort 1 at the Government College Lagos, Surulere on Saturday.
The training was facilitated by STEM Café, an initiative of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), Nigeria’s leading innovation and technology hub, for the SAIL Foundation.
In his keynote address titled “Empowering the Next Generation Through STEM Innovation,” Senator Abiru, an alumnus of GCL, described the event as “a bold statement of what becomes achievable when we nurture curiosity and provide tools to solve real-world problems.”
“Our children are not just learning; they are building, experimenting, and stepping confidently into the future,” he said.
The SAIL Foundation fully retrofitted and equipped the STEM lab as part of a wider network of innovation centres, including the SAIL Innovation Lab in Ikorodu and the SAIL Innovation and Sports Centre in Orimedu, Ibeju-Lekki.
The initiative aligns with Senator Abiru’s three-pillar approach of Endowment, Legislative Duty, and Facilitation & Empowerment.
Chief Impact Officer of SAIL Foundation, Mr. Deji Abisola, explained that the programme extends beyond GCL, with students from ten public secondary schools in Ikorodu also participating under the SAILors Programme.
Vice-Principal of the school, Mrs. Ngozi Eneje, commended the collaboration that birthed the project, while the Global President of the Government College Lagos Old Boys Association (GCLOBA), Mr. Jibola Bakare, lauded Senator Abiru’s strategic investment in the students’ future.
The ceremony ended with a guided tour of the STEM lab, where guests including Prof. Bankole Sodipo, SAN, Rear Admiral Leye Jaiyeola (Rtd.), and senior CcHUB executives viewed students’ projects and the state-of-the-art learning equipment.
Senator Abiru reaffirmed his commitment to developing young talent, emphasising that “the future belongs to those equipped with scientific literacy and digital competence.”
