Residents of Enugu state have continued to raise concerns over increasing rate of collapse of many Green Smart Schools across 260 wards in the state.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that more than half of both completed smart school buildings and those awaiting completion are said to be in bad state.
Residents also accused the contractors of using substandard and inferior building materials on the structures.
Prince Donatus is a native of Awgu local government area of the state.
According to him, the situation is quite alarming.
“I’m raising an urgent alarm about the condition of the building at Smart Green School, Ohaja Awgu Campus.
“The structure was built with substandard materials and is now showing serious signs of distress – it’s creaking and visibly deteriorating.
“In its current state, it is unsafe for pupils to learn in. The risk of collapse is real if nothing is done.”
Appealing to the state government, Donatus said ” I am calling on the state Governor Peter Mbah and the Enugu State Government as well as the State Education Board/Ministry of Education to urgently send engineers and inspectors to assess the building before students are moved in or allowed to continue classes there.
“Our children’s lives cannot be gambled with. A prompt inspection can prevent a tragedy.”
Ikenna Nnaji is a native of Umunko community in Igbo-Etiti local government area of the state. He told our reporter that the Umunko incident is the 29th of Smart School collapses in less than a year of its existence.
“The 29th Smart School collapses in Enugu after today’s rainfall. This is Umunko Smart School at Igbo Etiti, Enugu State. The collapse brings the total number of collapsed Smart Schools under construction to 29.
“It is quite disturbing that these smart schools are collapsing In the first year of their construction. This is an initiative that is supposed to stand the taste of time since the government policy like ‘Smart things’.
“Can we guarantee the safety of our kids in these structures?
“Someone said we should blame the contractor not the governor. Ok. Who contracted the contractor?
“The last contractor we heard of was Sujimoto and we knew how the matter ended. It wasn’t a pleasant scenario both for the good people of Enugu State, the govt and even Sujimoto.”
Explaining further, he said “if the contractors are using substandard materials to build or are not adequately funded, then the government who is their employer have failed to do their job.
“If it is juju that is falling the smart schools then the govt should kindly reduce the tax of traditionalists, maybe they can help.”
Joseph Eze is a resident of Ovoko, Igbo-Eze South local government where one of the smart schools was built.
He told our reporter that one of the smart school in his community is in dire emergency need.
“A smart green school in my community in Ovoko town precisely located at Umulolo ward is leaking water from the roof top.”
Explaining further he said “last week Friday, the head teacher called a PTA meeting and told all the parents to contribute money so that they can repair it. The parents who attended the meeting kicked againt it and said no.
“As of yesterday, they have started taxing every student to pay 1000 each telling them the 1000 is for their school uniform and repair of the damaged and leaking roofs.
“Government can do better by not taxing these poor parents to death.
“What does it take to the local government chairman or the state govt to carry out this project and repair it for them and even give every child in that school a free school uniform with the money they receive monthly?
“A local govt Chairman that receives nothing less than 600 to 700 million every month as monthly allocation can do it.”
At Obimo community, Nsukka local government area of the state, the story is still the same.
On Saturday, it was gathered that the roof of the building has been blown off by little windstorm during rain fall in the area.
An eyewitness told our reporter that “Yesterday’s rain also exposed the poor quality of these newly built Enugu Smart School and the Health Centre in Obimo, Nsukka LGA.
“Government should fix this before tragedy happens. We demand immediate structural integrity assessments on all these new buildings to protect our children, teachers, and patients.”
All the efforts to get the reaction of the state government on the issue proved abortive as the commissioner for Education Prof. Ndubueze Mbah could not be contacted as he was not picking his calls.
