Following total dilapidation of infrastructure at Ihenweorie Secondary School Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise Council Area of Imo State, attending classes in the school has become a dangerous venture.
To this end, Prophet of Anglican Diocese of Mbaise Church of Nigeria, Mr. Godfrey Gbujie, has called on the state government, corporate bodies and public spirited individuals to urgently intervene and rehabilitate the buildings to save the lives of the innocent children who are schooling there.
He told journalist recently in Owerri that out of the13 buildings constructed in the school, founded in 1978 by Oguama, Akabor, and Obodo Ujuchi autonomous communities, only two buildings are currently manageable for human use. Gbujie said the level of decay in the college is outrageous and beyond what the community can handle. He said: “The dilapidation is beyond the capacity of rural communities and requires government attention.
This school has more than 550 students among them over 100 candidates sitting for the forthcoming NECO and WASCE and yet the classrooms, laboratories, and examination halls are all in a state of absolute ruin.
“It is the magnitude of decay that got my attention and on behalf of the community I am appealing to the Imo State government to urgently alleviate the sufferings of these venerable students and leaders of tomorrow,’’ he said.
Gbujie regretted that Ihenweorie Secondary School was among the few approved secondary schools in Mbaise for the conduct of NECO and WASCE external examinations, even as some secondary schools in Mbaise have been banned for the conduct of external examinations, while Ihenworie Girls retains the status because of good academic discipline, and moral records of the school.
“That is why we are calling for the intervention and urgent assistance from government and public spirited individuals to assist the students write the 2016 external examinations in a decent academic environment,” he said. Prophet Gbujie blamed the colossal decay in Ihenweorie College to the non-appointment of any indigenes of the area in government.
According to him, since the administration of late Governo Sam Mbakwe, the community has not been privileged to have any of their sons or daughters in government and that has led to total neglect of the community, saying the community is ready to partner with Gov. Rochas Okorocha or any group to bring Ihenweorie college out of this ruin capable of adversely affecting the future of this community.
A student of the college who gave his name as Chidiebere told journalists that more than 80 per cent of the students at the college undertake their lessons under trees. “As you can see, most of the buildings in our school are bad, we usually study under the trees, and anytime it rains, classes are disrupted,’’ he said.
