A leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has come hard on Governor Nyesom Wike, saying the present administration in the state “is killing education gradually.”
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Peterside expressed worry over the poor state of public schools spread across the various local government areas.
According to him, apart from the poor state of facilities, many public schools lack teachers in so many subjects, hence the poor results in virtually every external examination including junior and secondary examinations.
Peterside condemned the arbitrary increase in school fees at the Rivers State University, pointing out that only a government that lacks focus could implement such arbitrary increment in the face of absence of scholarship and bursary awards.
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He said, “Go round many public schools in the state today, they are nothing to write home about. They are lacking teachers, facilities and basic tools of teaching. The available teachers have also not been promoted in the last five years. No teacher had been sent for any form of training or the other even as schools lack teaching aids.
“The last time any recruitment or promotion took place was during the Chibuike Amaechi administration (which was) more than four years ago. How do you get the best out of people when they are not motivated?
“Since Wike became governor, he has not built or renovated up to thirty schools in five years. This is a sad commentary on a state that is among the top four earners in the country in revenue allocation and generation.”
Peterside, who is the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, wondered why Governor Wike had not awarded any new scholarship or paid bursary to Rivers’ students despite receiving huge allocations.
“It is on record that Wike’s administration is the first in Rivers history not to have awarded a scholarship or given Rivers students bursary. We have never had it so bad. Rivers students deserve a better deal and it rather regrettable that the governor has failed them.
“It is not too late for Wike to admit failure on his part and show remorse. Going forward, he should immediately constitute a body to give a bursary to our children who deserve to benefit from their God-given wealth.
“The moribund Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency must be brought back to life and be allowed to award scholarship to deserving Rivers children who should be encouraged to match their peers abroad”, he stressed.
