OkoPoly Submerged as Management Sends Students Home

By David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Part of the Atani Campus of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State have been submerged following the flooding that is ravaging the state.

As a result of the incident, the management of the institution has asked students to vacate the campus with immediate effect.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the polytechnic, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu, in a press statement, urged the students to vacate the campus for one week to enable the flood dissipate to avoid any casualty.

He explained that the emergency holidays may be extended beyond a week if the flood persists so as to enable the management do some work to salvage the situation.

According to him, “The access roads to the campus, fields, offices and classrooms have been all submerged with the students having challenges in accessing their classrooms.

“The institution’s perimeter fencing, electric transformer, electric generating sets that supply light to the area were also submerged resulting in total blackout.”

Onuchukwu, while commending the efforts of both the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on their efforts in managing the situation across the country, appealed to them to come to the aid of the polytechnic as a matter of urgency.

He said: “As I speak with you, our entire Atani campus has been submerged by the flood. We encountered this experience almost on yearly basis but the magnitude of this year’s flood is overwhelming.

“Apart from the campus, hostels belonging to individuals where our students stay are also submerged, making it impossible for any reasonable academic activity to go on.

“We had earlier put some measures in place and cleared some flood channels, but this year’s flood came in a way we did not expect and swept those things away. But we thank God that so far, there is no human casualty.

“We are using this opportunity to call for federal and state governments’ interventions to enable us address the issue and be able to reopen when the flood reduces.”

Meanwhile, some of the students who spoke with reporters, said some of their household appliances and personal belongings, including textbooks have been damaged by the flood.

They called on all the necessary authorities to come to their aid especially as their health may be in grave danger.