A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr. Mike Baamofin, has canvassed increased funding for primary and secondary education in the country.

He said this in an interview with journalists during the donation of 9,000 exercise books worth N.7m to some secondary school pupils in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State on Wednesday.

He stated that with increased funding and judicious application of the resources, there would be a great leap in infrastructure in schools while standard of education at the basic levels in the country would improve.

Baamofin, who is from Kwara State, stated that strong educational foundation was needed to aid transformation of the economy.

According to him, education is the bedrock upon which the future foundation of any town, state or country is built.

He stated that any community or government that failed to invest in the education of her citizenry would not only breed vagabonds but would eventually go into extinction.

"Whatever level of education one attains in life starts from somewhere — that is primary education. The standard of education at the formative years will certainly affect the standard of education one acquired in the higher levels. That is why there should be qualitative education at the foundation level," Baamofin said.

He said the provision of basic infrastructure, instructional materials and competent and adequate teachers would boost education in the country.

According to him, there is the need for more private-public partnership to improve educational standard, adding that government alone cannot effectively transform the sector.

"My primary aim of investing and donating these educational materials to the future leaders of our community and state is borne out of the fact that I appreciate and applaud the state government's policy on education under the leadership of Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

"Another reason is the need for me to encourage the government to do more for our people in view of the meagre federal allocation accruable to the state being a non – oil producing state. Some of us here today have benefitted from the policies and efforts of successive administrations in the past.

"I assure the state government that those of us who believe in the administration's effort and ability to transform the state will always support the governor to succeed in his untiring efforts to take Kwara to a greater height," he said.

Baamofin called on Nigerians both at home and abroad to use their resources to give back to the society and complement government's developmental efforts.