On a day that alumni of the Western Annang Secondary Commercial School, WASCO, caused a stir at Ukanafun as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the premier secondary school in the local government, a member of the House of Representatives and an alumnus of the school, Unyime Idem made shocking pronouncements on projects to be executed in the school, to the amazement of staff, students and his fellow school mates.
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Idem, chairman of the committee on public procurement, had led other alumni on a tour of decaying infrastructure in the school, while also unveiling the fully equipped solar powered ICT centre which he attracted to the school.
Shortly after the inspection, Idem announced that solar powered street lights would be installed in all parts of the school, even as he said that the decaying administrative block would be given a facelift and a six classroom block constructed in no distant time.
The ovation had barely died down when the school’s senior prefect who was reacting to the legislator’s pronouncements decided to play the Oliver Twist role, shortly before the commencement of the school debate arranged by the alumni, as part of the anniversary events.
The student, in thanking Idem for the expected projects as well as the construction of the road leading to the school from the Amiamia Owo Junction, which Idem also attracted, drew the legislator’s attention to the deplorable condition of the road from the 24 Junction to WASCO and urged him to plan towards getting it fixed.
Responding Idem said before the end of his tenure, the road would be fixed. With that, four major projects have been earmarked for the school from the legislator, a feat that has never been attained by any politician from the area.
It came even as the alumni have pleaded with the state government to make efforts to fix some infrastructure in the school. Some of them include the male and female hostels which are no longer in existence.
The others are the laboratory, now taken over by a thick bush, just as the staff quarters, dining hall, the principal’s residence and even the school’s only storey building which serves as the assembly hall and classrooms. Walls of the storey building has since cracked, forcing the school to move students out of the place, as it is no longer safe for human habitation.
During the anniversary, awards were presented to Idem as well as other alumni who have contributed to the development of the school, among them the political leader of southern Ukanafun, Mr Saturday Akpan, the state PDP chairman who was once a teacher in the school, Mr Aniekan Akpan, a lecturer at the Cross River University, Prof Iniodu Ukpong, a magistrate in the state judiciary, Mr Emmanuel Archibong, a US based dietician, Iboro Umanah, as well as the publisher of TNN, Ofonime Umanah.
