Ogonis Kick Over Decaying Public Schools
Edith CHUKU
The immediate intervention of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, is required to salvage pupils of Government Secondary School, Lumene, Bangha in Nyorkana Kingdom, Khana Local Government Area of the state, from the unbearable learning condition due to the deplorable state of the school.
Natives and residents of the land are in dire need of help, as most government owned schools in the area, like Community Secondary School Kaani, Community Secondary School Lauwii, Government Secondary School Sogho, all in Khana LGA have almost gone into coma.
Recently, the Gbenemene of Bangha Kingdom, HRH, Mene Suanu Baridam, had expressed his displeasure over the condition of the school, and called for its immediate rehabilitation.
The Rivers monarch appealed to Wike and spirited individuals to come to the aid of his community by reconstructing the dilapidated school, adding that pupils are suffering because of the harsh learning condition.
The traditional father also explained that the community had written and invited and State Ministry of Education severally without any favourable response.
According to him, “I humbly appeal again to Rivers State government and every other political parties to come to the aid of Government Secondary School Lumene.”
“The students have suffered enough. Past and present governments have completely neglected this great school that has produced senators, house of assembly men, men and women of God, business men, professors. The community on their own has tried their bit, we need help.
“We have written several letters to the commissioner of education, we have visited to no avail. We need help. This morning I just stopped a protest by the community because of the situation of the school, before it will be seen as political. I may not be able always to intervene for a free protest.” It read.
Describing the state of the school, Mr. Basil Nkpordee in an exclusive interview with TNN said “well the state of the Lumene Bangha School is something that I don’t really know how to describe, it’s beyond dilapidation, it’s something that if you get there you will shed tears, you will not believe that this type of school exist in oil rich Rivers State.
“The school is dilapidated and that place is a hideout for criminals, and it’s quite unfortunate that we have failed to develop ourselves because I believe that federal government cannot come to Rivers State and develop Rivers State for us, it is the sole responsibility of the Rivers State government to provide good education for its people in order to reduce insecurity.
“If the people are educated the issue of crisis, the issue of kidnapping, the issue of ‘kpofire’, the issue of uncertainties in our various communities in Rivers State will reduce drastically, but how do we cope up when we don’t have schools, we have schools but there are nowhere to learn, so, it’s something that I don’t really know how to describe.
“It’s painful, and that is not the only school we have in Khana Local Government, we have several dilapidated schools in Khana Local Government, if you go to Community Secondary School Kaani, it’s something that you don’t know how to say it, if you go to Community Secondary School Lauwii, all these schools are in terrible state, and Rivers State government keep on sharing our common wealth on things that are not necessary, so, it’s quite unfortunate that we are in this type of situation in Rivers State.”
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“I feel bad, I feel sad, very sad and in fact I don’t know how to say it because Rivers State we are supposed to have sound education for our people but the reverse is the case, so I feel very bad, and I don’t know what our next generation will be if we continue this way, if after the electioneering campaign we cannot fulfil the promises, I think it’s very bad, because there is a social contract that exist between the government and the populace, so the government have failed woefully to adhere to this social contract, so I felt so bad.”
He further made a passionate appeal to the Rivers State Government to, “quickly intervene by rehabilitating these schools in Lumene Bangha, Community Secondary School Kaani, Community Secondary school Lauwii and other community secondary schools in Khana.
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“I know quite well that it is not only in Ogoni, if you go to other communities in Rivers State, there are other schools that are in a very terrible condition.”
