Amaechi To FG, Don’t Touch Our Schools

Rivers State Government has told the Federal Government to not dissolve its planned renovation of some Rivers State owned schools.
Last week, Nigeria's minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike revealed plans to begin renovation of some schools in the state.

Wike said these during the foundation laying of the Federal Junior Model Secondary School in Ogu/Bolo, and then revealed that the FG plans to increase the number of classroom blocks at the Birabi Memorial Secondary in Bori, Khana Local Government Area.

The minister the pledged to also add more class blocks at Community Secondary School in Ubima, the hometown of Amaechi, and Saint Aquinas Secondary School, Elele. However, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has demanded that the FG shelve their plans especially from state owned schools.

Semenitari was speaking at the ative and Vogue International Fashion Week coming up from September 19 to 21 in the state.

She said that the FG ought to pay more attention to its own schools for example the Federal Government Girls College, Abuloma, that had no dining hall.

She said: "We want to tell the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, that we don't want any third- rated buildings or blocks of classrooms in our school premises in Rivers State. The Rivers State Government is not interested in any white-wash buildings or performance in our schools.

"The minister has not done anything about Federal Government Girls College in Aboloma that does not have a dining hall; he has not done anything about the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt; and he has not done anything about the University of Port Harcourt.

"Let him go and build the nomadic schools that they have not been able to complete; let him go and attend to the nomadic schools that are falling apart. They have not been able to build schools for itinerant teachers.

"Wike should stop playing to the gallery; he should stop playing with the lives of Nigerian children and be focused in keeping our children in schools. Wike should be ashamed that Nigeria still has the highest record of out-of-school children," the commissioner maintained.

Semenitari said the Federal Government should focus on the Bonny-Bodo road constructionif they really want to help.

She said: "They (FG) refused to start it, but as soon as we worked out an arrangement with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company to construct the road, the Federal Government told NLNG to stop and claimed that they will start it and awarded the contract. Up till now, the people of Bonny cannot ply that road.

"We have been careful in recent times not to join issues with the Federal Government because we have been focused on our paid jobs. We like to request the Federal Government to focus on its paid job.

"We have over 200 girls missing and Wike, as a father, should be concerned. But he has been unable to do his job as a minister to make sure the girls return to us," she added.

This recent fall out seems to be a continuance of the recent back and forth between the President Jonathan administration and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Both elder statesman have been in a war of words since the fall out allegedly caused by Amaechi's insistence not to quit his position as head of the Governors forum of Nigeria.