46 students set for Turkey for cultural exchange program

Forty-six students of Government Secondary School (GSS), Wuse Zone 3, are likely to travel to Turkey for a cultural exchange program.

The Chief Minister for Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Mr Bulent Korkmaz, has indicated interest in having the programme in Ankara, Turkey.

Korkmaz told Dr. Mohammed Gummi, President, Association of Turkey Graduates Alumni in Nigeria, that he was impressed with the cultural dances put up by the students and would want them to stage a similar performance in Turkey.

The students staged the cultural dances during the inauguration of a science complex, renovated by a TIKA, in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board (SEB).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students entertained guests with Niger Delta, Yoruba, Tiv, Nupe, Gbagyi, Igbo, Fulani and Hausa dances.

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Gummi said if the plan succeeded, the students would visit Ankara, noting that it would help expose them to Turkish cultural dances, among other things.

“The chief minister, who is also the coordinator of TIKA,  whispered to me that he liked the Nigerian cultural dances.

“He was moved and asked about the possibility of staging a Nigerian Cultural Day in Ankara where the dancers could feature

“We are going to make the necessary arrangement for trip to Turkey,” Gummi said.

He praised the efforts by the Turkish government to improve the quality of education in Nigeria through the establishment of secondary and tertiary institutions in the country.

In the same view, the Ambassador of Turkey to Nigeria, Mr Hidayet Bayraktar, said that Turkish institutions and non-governmental organisations had been playing a leading role in the field of education on the African continent.

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“My foundation schools are providing education to more than 17,500 students in 25 countries in Africa and last month alone, two Turkish NGOs opened new schools in Abuja.

“The renovation of this school by TIKA is also a solid display of these efforts and I am sure that with the opening of an office in Nigeria, TIKA will achieve much more in this country.

“The agreement on cooperation in the field of development is still awaiting the response of our Nigerian colleagues.  I am confident that this agreement will intensify the efforts of Turkey and TIKA in Nigeria.

“Turkey is ready to work more closely with Nigeria in the field of education and development and the 21st century can be very different in Africa and the first step is education,” the envoy said.

Some students, who spoke to NAN, thanked the Turkish Embassy for refurbishing the science laboratory.

They said with the rehabilitation the school could now compete favourably with other schools in the country.

They said they were glad about their proposed trip to Turkey.

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Speaking, the school’s Principal, Mrs Fummilayo Kayode, said when she resumed in the school in October 2020, it was in a bad shape.

She said she utilised every opportunity to get help and got one the Turkish ambassador paid a visit to the school and enquired on what the embassy could do to help out.

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“When I was transferred here last year what I met on ground was below my expectations and I said that with God all things are possible.

“I tried convincing the teachers and students that we need to change. (NAN)