Students protest alleged neglect by Rivers State Government
By ANN GODWIN, Port Harcourt
Students of the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, yesterday staged a peaceful protest for alleged neglect by the state government.
The angry students, who barricaded the Ikwerre road by Agip junction, alleged that they have not taken their baths for one week as a result of lack of electricity which consequently affected their water supply and sanitary systems.
Brandishing placards with inscriptions such as; No water, our classrooms are dilapidated as if we don’t pay fees, unconducive learning environment, this kind school-nawaoo’, the students alleged that governor, Nyesom Wike, abandoned them but was busy giving attention to other higher institutions in the state.
Some of the students in an interview said, “We are on protest because we don’t have light. We pay hostel fees yet we don’t have water to bathe, no light to iron our uniforms, infections are everywhere because we have not washed our bathrooms for several weeks. The situation is tensed and we are not happy”
Another student identified simply as Chibueze said: “The school appeared to have been abandoned. The governor has been addressing all issues in all other schools in the state but no attention is given to us”
“ We have resumed exams, the whole institution is using only one mono pump. We paid close to 300,000 yet no basic amenities, government should come and rescue us”
Confirming the incident, the Provost of the school, Prof. Frankly Nlerum, said, “Yes, I am aware of the protest, things are not really okay with us here, we lacked power supply, our big generator is damaged and we can’t control the public power supply.”
“We need at least 1000 kV generator, our classrooms are too small likewise the staff rooms, the small internally generated revenue is used to pay our part-time lecturers, so the school needs help”
Contacted, the spokesman for the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, assured that the police in the state would continue to provide peaceful and habitable environment for the citizens.
“We are more than prepared to ensure that laws and orders are maintained but for the protesters, we insist that people should ensure that the rights of others are not infringed while demonstrating, its wrong to block the roads, when people go against the law, that’s when the police will come after them but we are in to maintain peace,” Omoni assured. (The Guardian)
