Delta seeks communities’ assistance to check incessant school vandalism

Some of pupils of Okome Primary School 

The Delta State Government has appealed for the assistance of communities in the protection and security of educational infrastructure in the state.

Its Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Chiedu Ebie, told a reporter that vandalism and theft of public school facilities was a ``big problem’’ in Delta.

"One of the problems we have today is the high rate of theft and burglary in our schools.

"Every week we get reports on that, in addition to land encroachment by communities. We have security men guarding public schools in the state but they are not armed.

"Government cannot do it alone; this is why communities should assist in proper policing of public schools in their domains otherwise the situation will remain," he said.

The commissioner was responding to enquiry on a similar situation at Okome Primary School, Edjemuonyavwe-Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.  

Photographs circulating on social media show ramshackle and vandalised structures with pupils either standing or sitting on the floor of their classrooms.

The school’s head teacher, Mr Lucky Adjigbere, who confirmed the authenticity of the photographs, described the situation as ``very bad’’.

``There are eight classroom blocks in the school; three were renovated by the state government in 2011 while the remaining five are dilapidated and seriously begging for renovation.

``The renovated blocks have been vandalised by miscreants, with their windows, ceilings, furniture as well as register and other vital school documents carted away. 

``Out of about 1,350 pupils in the school, only less than 100 have seats which are provided by their parents. The rest sit on the floor with mats, sacks and their school bags.’’

Adjigbere said the vandalism was carried out mostly at night, adding that the five security men attached to the school worked only in the day.

He explained that he had drawn the attention of Edjemuonyavwe community, the state government and the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to the situation.

When contacted, the PTA Chairman, Mr Samson Iburu, said the association was putting security measures in place in collaboration with the community to protect the school.

Iburu blamed incessant vandalism of public schools in the community on low orientation and poor attitude of the people to public facilities.

``The problem here is the low mentality of our people. They don’t have the understanding that maintenance and security of public facilities is a collective responsibility,’’ he said.

The commissioner said that the state government was looking into the situation at Okome Primary School.

``You have drawn my attention to the situation, so we are looking into it.

``We have over 1000 primary schools in the state, and it is expected that some of them will have dilapidated structures. We are trying very hard to attend to as many as possible.

``We are in the process of distributing furniture to schools in Ethiope West under the constituency project of the state lawmaker from the area, and I am sure that particular school will benefit.’’

Meanwhile, the head teacher has confirmed the delivery of 500 chairs to the school on Monday, coming barely six days after the commissioner’s promise.

``They have also promised to renovate three blocks in the school after which another 500 chairs would be delivered.’’

He expressed appreciation to the state government for the gesture, and appealed to the community leadership to take a strong position on the twin evils of vandalism and theft in the school.

CSO writes FG, urges withdrawal of funding from ECOWAS

By Admin
April 27, 2017

ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja

A civil society organisation (CSO) has called on the Federal Government to ``immediately withdraw funding’’ from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).

The Abuja-based CSO, Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), made the call in a petition dated April 6 and addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Executive Director of CASER, Mr Frank Tietie, signed the petition a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

Tietie hinged the request on alleged undue influence of ECOWAS machinery by the Chairman of the sub-regional body and President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.    

Indications to this effect, according to him, include the recent suspension of the Vice President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Micah Wright, from judicial service in his home country, Liberia.

Tietie said the suspension of Wright's law licence in Liberia was politically motivated and intended to provide a base for his remove from the bench of the ECOWAS Court.

Wright was suspended for 12 months by the Supreme Court of Liberia in February over alleged fraud, according to media reports.

But Tietie believes the judge is a victim of witch-hunt by the Liberian president, ``who has a political axe to grind’’ with him.

He said Johnson was trying to use her current position as Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to ``unduly influence and compromise’’ the ECOWAS judicial machinery.  

``It should be noted that the suspension of law licence of an ECOWAS Court judge is inconsequential since his work as a judge of a transnational court transcends any restrictions imposed on him by a member state.

``The Liberian authorities fail to realise the transcendental nature of the ECOWAS Court but have chosen to exploit the ECOWAS chairmanship of President Ellen Johnson to pursue a political ambition.

``This case in point is the vexatious removal of an ECOWAS Court judge by the Liberian President in her capacity as the ECOWAS Chairman with the mind of replacing him with another Liberian national perceived to the loyal to her government.’’

Tietie said the ECOWAS Judicial Council had scheduled a meeting in Abidjan, Cote DÍvoire, to swear in another judge to replace Wright at the ECOWAS Court.

This, according to him, is despite a pending suit filed by the embattled judge at the ECOWAS Court challenging his suspension by the Supreme Court of Liberia.

He said, ``CASER is, therefore, warning that the ECOWAS Judicial Council should take cognizance of its Rules of Procedures, particularly on the procedure for the removal of a Judge.

``CASER is also urging the Nigerian authorities to warn ECOWAS Court of Justice to refrain from being politicised and dragged into the political arena by the President of Liberia. 

``All the concerned parties: the Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS, President of the ECOWAS Commission, President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, and the ECOWAS Judicial Council, must take cognizance of the pending suit before the ECOWAS Court  and allow the Rule of Law to prevail.’’

He also urged the Nigerian Government to immediately withdraw funding from any ECOWAS arrangement with no regard for basic norms of justice and human rights.

The CASER executive director noted that Nigeria’s continued support to the ECOWAS judicial system would be useless if the fundamental human right of the judge to fair hearing was not guaranteed by the court.

The petition was copied to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Attorney General of the Federation and heads of relevant ECOWAS organs.