EMIR OF LAFIAGI COMMITS #20 MILLION TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATION OF LAFIAGI SECONDARY SCHOOL

Community-led matching fund targets ₦40 million in additional support to create initial ₦60 million project fund

LAFIAGI, KWARA STATE — His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr.) Mohammed Kudu Kawu, the Emir of Lafiagi, has committed ₦20 million on behalf of the Lafiagi community to kickstart the Lafiagi Education Matching Fund, a community-led initiative designed to mobilise additional resources for the transformation of public education in Lafiagi.

The initiative is being led by the Kwara State Education Trust Fund (KwaraETF) in partnership with AlumUnite, with the initial focus on transforming Lafiagi Secondary School, the pioneer secondary school in the Emirate, into a model public secondary school.

Under the first phase of the campaign, the initiative seeks to mobilise ₦40 million from alumni, diaspora members, philanthropists, businesses, foundations and other supporters of education. Every ₦2 donated unlocks ₦1 from the matching pool, creating an initial ₦60 million project fund when the ₦40 million fundraising target is achieved.

The campaign is powered by AlumUnite, which provides the digital infrastructure for fundraising, donor engagement and campaign management.

A Community Puts Its Money On the Table

The Emir of Lafiagi’s commitment represents the first major financial commitment under the pilot and is intended to demonstrate community ownership of the school’s transformation.

Lafiagi Secondary School was established in 1970 as the pioneer secondary school in the Lafiagi Emirate. The school has, over the years, experienced significant infrastructure needs, prompting the Lafiagi community to identify its transformation as the immediate priority for the matching-fund pilot.

Speaking on the initiative, the Emir said:

“The future of Lafiagi depends greatly on the quality of education available to our children. We have therefore decided that the community must play its part. This ₦20 million is our starting point, not our destination. We are calling on our sons and daughters at home and abroad, our alumni, friends and partners of Lafiagi to join us in building better schools and better opportunities for our children.”

The community has identified Lafiagi Secondary School as the sole beneficiary of the pilot, with the objective of creating a school that can serve as a model for what community ownership and collective investment can achieve in public education.

KwaraETF: Turning Community Commitment Into a Larger Education Fund

Chairman of KwaraETF, Col. Abdulwahab Ademola Lawal (Rtd.), described the initiative as an opportunity to demonstrate a different approach to financing education at the community level.

“The Lafiagi Education Matching Fund represents the kind of partnership we believe can change the way education is financed at the community level. The commitment by the Emir and the Lafiagi community demonstrates ownership, while the matching-fund structure creates an opportunity to multiply that commitment through alumni, philanthropy and private-sector support.”

He added:

“We are excited to see this model take shape in Lafiagi, and we hope its success will demonstrate what is possible when communities, institutions and supporters of education come together around clearly defined priorities.”

Executive Secretary of KwaraETF, Oluwadamilola Amolegbe, said the initiative was designed not simply as a fundraising campaign, but as a mechanism for converting local ownership into wider investment in public education.

“This is not simply a ₦20 million education intervention. It is a mechanism for turning community commitment into a much larger pool of resources for public education. Lafiagi has put the first money on the table; our job is to build the structure that allows others to come alongside them, with transparency, accountability and clearly defined education outcomes.”

From a ₦60 Million First  Milestone To a Much Bigger Vision

The first phase of the campaign will create an initial ₦60 million project pool when the ₦40 million fundraising target is achieved.

However, the ₦60 million milestone represents only the beginning of the wider ambition for Lafiagi Secondary School.

The long-term goal is to transform the school into a model public secondary school, drawing inspiration from the recently completed Adeta Prototype School in Ilorin, delivered under the administration of His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The Adeta prototype has been described by the Kwara State Government as a new approach to the design and development of public school environments. During an inspection of the facility in March 2025, Governor AbdulRazaq described it as a prototype for how the state intends to rethink school design and learning environments.

The Lafiagi project will build on this direction while adapting the ambition to the needs of a secondary school.

“We are not trying to create a parallel vision for public education. We are building on the direction already established through investments such as the Adeta prototype school. Our ambition is to bring that same spirit of modern, quality infrastructure to Lafiagi Secondary School, with the community playing a leading role in making it possible,” Amolegbe added.

As the initial fundraising milestone is achieved, the campaign will grow in phases to reflect the scale of the transformation required.

The ultimate ambition is to create a school that meets the aspirations of the Lafiagi community while demonstrating how government, communities and private supporters can work together to strengthen public education.

More importantly, the initiative is intended to establish a replicable community-based education financing model that can be extended to other public schools across Kwara State — demonstrating how local ownership can attract broader philanthropic, alumni, diaspora and private-sector investment in education.

Alumunite: Connecting Lafiagi to a Wider Network Of Support

A key component of the initiative is the partnership with AlumUnite, which provides the digital and engagement infrastructure required to connect the Lafiagi community’s initial commitment with a wider network of potential supporters.

Co-Founder and CEO of AlumUnite, Charles Nweke, said:

“What makes the Lafiagi Education Matching Fund particularly exciting is that it starts with a community that is willing to lead by example. Our role is to help translate that commitment into a wider mobilisation opportunity, connecting Lafiagi’s alumni, diaspora and supporters to clearly defined education needs and making it easier for them to contribute, engage and see the impact of their support.”

Through the partnership, AlumUnite will support campaign architecture, platform configuration, school needs mapping, donor engagement and reporting, while KwaraETF will provide programme management, monitoring and evaluation, financial oversight, governance and accountability.

With ₦20 million committed by the Lafiagi community, the invitation is now open to alumni, diaspora members, philanthropists, businesses, foundations and friends of Lafiagi to join the effort.

The first fundraising milestone is ₦40 million in external contributions, which will unlock the full ₦60 million initial project fund.

The campaign is live on AlumUnite:

https://alumunite.co/campaigns/a2982baa-53df-44bf-bccc-1c1a5004d70a

Lafiagi has made the first commitment. Now, we build.