Henry Ogbodo’s two children are attending the technical college—one of his sons, Richmond graduated in 2023 from the Welding and Fabrication Department.
By Arinze Chijioke
Pedro Dennis’s emergence as the pioneer principal of Government Science and Technological College Swali, Yenagoa in Bayelsa State was not mere happenstance. It was a result of his leadership capacity, proven track record, and integrity.
Dennis worked as a teacher, and head of the Mechanical Department from 2000 to 2018, and as vice principal of the Government Science and Technical College, Okaka, one of two technical colleges in the state from 2018 to 2020.
Between 2012 and 2015, the Universal Basic Education (UBE) built and fenced classrooms, halls, offices, hostels, and a generator house in Swali. The UBE Programme was introduced by the Federal Government of Nigeria under former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 as a reform programme aimed at tackling the menace of out-of-school children by providing free, universal and compulsory basic education for every Nigerian child aged 6-15 years.
By 2020, the Bayelsa state government took over the UBE facility, turned it into a technical college, and sent Dennis over as Principal. The structures had been abandoned; some were already dilapidating.
When Dennis and his team of teachers from other technical colleges came on board, they had one major task – to attract students and grow the school. It was not rosy, especially given that other schools already existed in the area, but Dennis was prepared to beat the odds.
“First, me and my team made flyers and distributed them along the streets and from house to house to create awareness about the college,” Dennis said. “We also made announcements on the radio and students came with their chairs and tables.”
Additionally, Dennis and his team met with community leaders of Swali who gathered his subjects and spoke to them about the school and what they stood to benefit by allowing their children to enrol. With this effort, the school attracted 30 students whom they trained with technical skills. When others saw what these students could do back home, they wanted to attend the same school.
Gradually, the numbers kept increasing.
Thinking Outside The Box
At inception, before the school started receiving funding, Dennis and his team needed to find ways to stay afloat. They invited the parents of the students and spoke to them about their challenges. This birthed the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and each child was taxed to pay N1,500 per term.
This solves part of the problem, but there is still the issue of basic equipment needed to facilitate and aid learning. For this, Dennis went back to his former school where he was able to lease some equipment.
This not only aided learning but also served as an income-generating stream. Products the students made were sold and the money was used for the day-to-day running of the school, fuelling, provision of water, and cleaning of the facilities.
“The students also improvised,” he said. “There were seven departments, including catering, garment making, welding and fabrication, electrical and installation, building, computer craft, and bookkeeping.”
Ensuring Transparency
For transparency and accountability, Dennis ensured that the funds generated were controlled by the parents themselves and the vice principal, administration while he kept records and monitored spending. A bank account was opened for the PTA.
In 2022, a year after academic activities fully kick started, the government stepped in, demolished and rebuilt some structures, and built new ones like the school library and ICT centre, workshop, all equipped. It also created an access road, provided water, electricity, equipment for the hostels and furniture, and renovated existing structures, having seen how committed Dennis and his team were.
The numbers grew exponentially after the formal inauguration with new facilities/structures and security architecture. Today, the school boosts of over 800 students and 40 teachers, 15 out of which are volunteers Dennis had brought in.
As more support came in, Dennis established the school basement committee that manages the funds and a project implementation committee that executed all projects and kept all records and documents. These moves were opposed by some teachers who felt entitled to some share of the funds.
A Stickler For Excellence
Abusi Ebiegberi says he has worked with five principals, but Dennis stands out because of his penchant for excellence and propensity for the truth. He was transferred to Swali from Ekpetiama Comprehensive High School, Tombia in October 2020.
“I had heard so much about Dennis even before I met him, he always listens and corrects,” he said. “When he resumed, he gathered me and other teachers together and spoke to everyone about his vision for the school.”
Ebiegberi says Dennis has united teachers in the college by making sure that they care for one another, especially in times of need and if an issue arises, he calls for an emergency meeting and makes sure it is addressed.
“He tells us to always be committed to our jobs and see ourselves as a family,” said Ebiegberi, who is currently the Vice Principal of Welfare at the college. “He treats everyone with respect, including the students.”
To cover up areas where the school lacked teachers, Ebiegberi said that Dennis recruited more volunteer teachers and spoke to parents who contributed money with which they are being paid stipends for their efforts.
Testimony Charles, one of the college’s pioneer students, graduated from the Garment Making Department and currently owns her outlet in Bayelsa. She says Dennis usually visited her parents whenever she missed classes.
“He always made sure that me and other students were up to speed and that no one was left behind,” she said. “Regularly, he also visited our classes to ensure the teachers were doing their jobs.”
Henry Ogbodo’s two children are attending the technical college—one of his sons, Richmond graduated in 2023 from the Welding and Fabrication Department. He says that Dennis has shown great leadership ever since he became the principal of the college and that has built confidence in the minds of parents.
“One of the times I visited, he was upset at one of the teachers who left without taking permission, it shows how committed he is to the project of transforming the school into one of the best and that is why I decided that my other children also enrol and they are doing well.”
Although managing Government Science and Technological College Swali was Dennis’s primary assignment, he was also at the forefront of the fight for the welfare of unfairly treated teachers whose salaries were often deducted for no reason.
“Now, some teachers reject the offer when posted to my school because of my zero tolerance for corruption, but I am undeterred and committed to pushing for integrity in the public sector,” Dennis said.
This report is championed by Accountability Lab Nigeria and sponsored by The John D. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation and Luminate.