Akwa Ibom Govt Laments Vandalism of Public Schools, Other Infrastructure

Okon Bassey In Uyo

The Akwa Ibom government has raised the alarm over the rate of vandalisation of public schools.

Special Assistant to the Akwa Ibom Governor on Social Orientation, Mr Aniekeme Finbarr, raised the alarm when he took a group of social volunteers around schools in Uyo, the state capital, to show the level of vandalisation of public schools in the city.

Finbarr charged community leaders and residents to take ownership of public infrastructure, especially schools.

Among the schools visited were Offot Central School, QIC Primary School, Idoro Road, Uyo and

RCM noted that “no amount of tall fences or mobilisation of the police force will stem this tide.”

“It calls for community vigilance and a sense of ownership of all public infrastructure. Initially, it was only doors and windows that were ripped off, but now even roofs are taken off from school,” said the governor’s aide. “We are taking the message to every nook and cranny. We are using every medium of communication to step up the sensitization. We just have to rise and put a stop to this.”

Primary School, West Itam Two, in Itu LGA.

The aide decried the situation and disclosed that the government would step up awareness campaigns against vandalism and tighten security to fish out vandals.

“It is a very sad situation we have found ourselves. Almost every public school in the capital city has an infrastructure or more vandalised by hoodlums,” said Finbarr. “Who are the perpetrators? I doubt we can say visitors did this. It is our people who have done this. How can we develop with this kind of behaviour? We are saying this behaviour has to stop.”

The aide added that Governor Umo Eno was taking steps to tackle vandalism as he “is currently building new model schools and the fear is that the same thing that happened in these schools will be transferred to the expensive model schools that have been built.”