Education

Gov Eno’s aide tasks community leaders on public schools security

Special Assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Social Orientation, Mr Aniekeme Finbarr has charged community leaders and citizens to take ownership of public infrastructure, especially schools in their domains.

Finbarr gave the charge when he took a group of social volunteers around schools in the capital city to inspect the level of vandalization of public schools.

The tour revealed different levels of damage done to the school buildings, including doors, windows, ceilings, and even roofs that were peeled and removed.

At Offot Central School Uyo, the Governor’s aide stressed that the government is worried about the development and is both stepping up the awareness campaign and tightening security measures to smoke the culprits out.

A similar situation was replicated at QIC Primary School, Idoro Road, Uyo as well as RCM Primary School, West Itam Two, Itu where Mr Finbarr harped on the need for community to protect government infrastructure in their domains from the activities of vandals, describing education as the responsibility of all.

“It is a very sad situation we have found ourselves. Almost every public school in the capital city has an infrastructure or more vandalized by hoodlums. Who are the perpetrators? I doubt we can say visitors did this. It is our people who have done this. How can we develop this kind of behaviour? We are saying this behaviour has to stop.

‘Governor Umo Eno has stepped up the awareness on these issues because he is currently building new model schools and the fear is that the same thing that happened in these schools will be transferred to the expensive model schools that have been built. No amount of tall fences or mobilization of the police force will stem this tide,” he warned.

Mr Finbarr stressed the need for community efforts to ensure that vandalization is reduced to the barest minimum or completely stopped.

“It calls for community vigilance and a sense of ownership of all public infrastructure. Initially, it was only doors and windows that were ripped off but now even roofs are taken off from school. We are taking the message to every nook and cranny, we are using every medium of communication to step up the sensitization. We just have to rise and put a stop to this,” Finbarr stressed.

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