… as WOWBII builds Vetland as Nigeria’s 1st modular infrastructure school in Lagos
On what can be described as history, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recently commissioned the Vetland Junior Grammar School blocks and sports facilities, the first Modular Infrastructure Interactive Touch Screen Learning School in Nigeria.
Built by WOWBII; an arm of Equipment Hall Limited under the Lagos State Government, Vetland located in Agege, Lagos, is a 21st century school equipped with touch screen classrooms making it possible for the students to enjoy video-based learning as obtainable globally.
Speaking at the commissioning of the school, the Group CEO and Founder of Equipment Hall, Gbolahan Olayomi, said WOWBII is a local cutting edge technology that is replacing white boards, black boards and projectors in schools and corporate organisations.
Prior to the Vetland School, WOWBII was huge on cooperates until divine orchestration led the company into an invitation by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to build a modular infrastructure interactive touch screen school for the State.
Going down memory lane on how the Vetland project came up, Olayomi said “It started in the year 2019 when we began to think of how we can house our technology in a building.
“We have the technology but most people didn’t understand what it was. The technology was way away its time so for it to be able to gain ground we have to find a unique and novel project where we could house our technology in a building.
“In that way it will now make a lot more sense to stakeholders in the education industry, so our technology is replacing white boards, black boards and projectors.
“Whilst doing that we found out that our technology has not gained ground in Education in Nigeria so we were swimming against the tide.
“So Vetland was a divine idea; I use that word with all sense of responsibility. A divine idea that came to us and said you know what? Take this technology and find an envelope to house it.
“The envelope to house it was using shipping containers and that made it more unique because modular infrastructure which is what we use shipping containers for had never been used in public school set up.
“This was the idea that birthed the Vetland project and as divine orchestration will have it in February 2020 we were invited to the first education summit of the Lagos State Ministry of Education and we were given a five-minute slot to present at that event and just two days before that event was when the idea of a modular building came to us.
“We quickly put our heads together, put our presentation together and used our technology at that summit at Eko Hotel where Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu was in attendance and when we finished our presentation the Governor said to us, there and then in front of all the stakeholders ‘go build me one.’
“That is the story of Vetland Junior Grammar School; the first of its type and the first modular interactive hybrid learning school. What we call the ‘wow’ school in Nigeria, never been done before, the first time this is ever happening anywhere in Nigeria and today is a landmark in the history of Nigeria that this was the landing point for modular technology housing interactive learning technology in the same environment.”
He stated that the reasoning behind the Vetland Modular Interactive School was global adoption as children easily learn using technology; hence, WOWBII is simply building on a foundation of video-based learning becoming a standard for learning.
“They’re used to smart phones and they’re used to tablets. From age six to eight months if you want a child to keep quiet you put a phone before him, you play a video crying children keep quiet.
“So for them it is native to use devices and technology to learn or to play. We’re simply building on a foundation of video-based learning becoming a standard for learning.
“It’s what is happening in all the first world countries and it’s what’s going to come here whether we like it or not and we believe that now that it is here we only hope and it’s our earnest desire that beyond the Lagos State Government we make this accessible to as many as possible and beyond that, that all children in Nigeria will be exposed to technology as a framework for their learning,” he explained.
Continuing, Olayomi noted that Vetland is the first born; not just the first born but the first of its type modular interactive hybrid learning space in public education in Nigeria.
The intention according to him was that many more people from all over the world have seen what is happening at Vetland and as they see the transformation in the children they will also be inclined to adopt it because really, learning interactively and using this technology is irreversible.
The technology expert pointed out that it is like moving from a black and white television to a coloured one, adding that this can only be delayed and the longer it is delayed the further behind you fall as a country with regard to your education.
“So education is now technology driven; so the earlier we comply and make ourselves comfortable with that the better for us.
“It’s our desire that many more will come and see what is going on here and adopt it because it’s what the children are demanding. We should let them learn in a way that is native to them now which is the use of technology,” he urged.
Part of the beauty of the WOMBI infrastructure learning technology, the expert said, is that it is applicable to all subjects, more so, it is not internet dependent nor does it run on backup power supply from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) but 100 per cent on solar.
In his words: “It covers all subject matters; Physical Education, Music, French, all subjects under science, arts and social sciences.
“Vetland Junior School is an aggregate of modular building, technology, services, training, furniture, and off grade this school 12 blocks is 100 per cent solar, there is no back up from PHCN; it’s purely running on solar energy.”
Explaining the modular infrastructure, the WOMBI boss said “basically the Vetland Junior Grammar School is built with shipping containers; when we say modular building it means it was built with shipping containers, the containers that come from the high sea.
“So 52 shipping containers were put together to build this where you’re in, they were arranged, assigned addresses and placed, and after placing, fused together, welded together, and then put a roof on top of it and then electrical was done like a building and then the building was done.”
He pointed out speed as the advantage of a modular building noting that while it takes you a deal of time to lay the foundation of a building the container is already set.
Olayomi said: “The advantage is speed so instead of throwing away these containers littered all over we bring them and we reuse them here and that’s what we call being green, refurbishing and that’s the way the world has gone.
“So we also need that in terms of requirement, the green bill. What we’re doing is to set a new standard even for building, even for engineering. This is a fusion of architecture, engineering and technology; all the three disciplines coming together to create what we’re in here.”
WOWBII is a local organisation that belongs to Equipment Hall with the assembly line in Gbagada, Lagos where the touch screens are assembled. The trainers and the service support are also in Lagos.
According to the CEO, WOWBII as a standard gives a two-year product warranty extendable to five years, hence, ensuring there is a fantastic return on investment for anyone who is investing with the company.
An incentive that has created confidence in its clients; some of them having been with WOWBII for up to five years and when it begins to reach seven years WOWBII offers them a ‘buy back’ of the product.
“So after seven years we could buy our screen back and give them what’s new again and they can continue the journey. They get a discount on that and keep moving.
“Then we can pass those used screens to schools that can’t afford the brand new ones and we keep on entrenching and growing our used items,” Olayomi explained.
Prior to the Vetland project, WOWBII has as its customers both education institutions that fall into all types of cadres; the leading private schools across the country like Children’s International to CIS, to Green Springs to Atlantic Hall, Chrisland schools and others.
Also among its esteemed private educational institutions using the technology are the universities – Covenant University and Babcock University.
Beyond education this technology according to the CEO is huge on corporate entities as it is used in the corporate meeting room and anywhere there is a meeting space.
“It’s replacing projectors; when you go into a meeting room you put our screen there you can bring in anyone using zoom or any of those applications so we have a lot of corporate customers,” he stated.
Olayemi declared that WOWBII remains indebted to the Governor of Lagos State for giving the company the opportunity to house its technology in a modular school for the first time, despite the fact that there was no prior relationship or connection with the Governor.
He said the technology which is the first of its kind anywhere in the world took 23 years of people coming together to brainstorm and research.