George Washington Carver had surmised: “Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.”
The freedom for members of the populace will come when they get proper education and this entails the ability to have access to qualitative education.
The learning process is a beautiful thing, but, just like with any career, it can feel frustrating at times. It feels more frustrating when tax payers funds meant for the promulgation of education is being withered away
for political malevolence.
Hobnob News reports that popular news medium, Trojan News in a fact finding mission exposed the monumental corruption ravaging Edo State under the watch of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The news medium in its espouse uncovered how the Governor in connivance with the state Commissioner for education, Joan Oviawe and the Chairperson of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ozavize Salami failed to account for the $73 million World Bank loan, and N129.12billion Naira approved for education uplift in Edo State.
Godwin Obaseki, the self-described “technocrat capitalist” Governor of Edo State has over the course of his reign as the chief executive, enumerated achievements in education and hard-headed understanding of governance but it appears they may be phoney at best.
Trojan News expouse has now woken Edo citizens, home and abroad from their deep sleep, as they are now calling on the Governor, Joan Oviawe, Commissioner for education and Ozavize Salami, Chairperson of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to account for N129.12billion Naira meant for educational development in the state.
Chief Iyere Odiase, a prominent Edo indigene had after the traumatizing horror viral video clips of dilapidated school buildings in Edo State came to limelight surmised to the news medium:
“Any country or society with this kind of paralysis in education and modern civilization in 21st century, that country or society is lost”. Little did the High Chief envisaged that Uromi Secondary School he attended four decades ago has not only regressed in worst decrepit state than he saw in the abhorrent video, his Alma Mater has sunk into a new hell.
Trojan News had in June this year earlier reported that the State Government used the Edo State Ministry of Education to become the fleecing channel meant to swindle Edo people of their resources, through ephemeral projects.
The News medium investigations had then revealed the systematic way the Commissioner for Education, Joan Oviawe in cohort with Obaseki, allegedly collected over N5 billion from the state’s resources.
Apparently miffed by the monumental corruption going on, a known as Edo In Diaspora Solidarity Movement (EIDSOM), in a press statement made through their Italy based leader, Dr James Osagie, charged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately prosecute Ms Joan Oviawe and Ms Ozavize Salami for inhuman destruction and diversion of billions of Naira approved for education in the state.
Part of the statement reads:
“Since Governor Obaseki has temporary immunity until he exit office next year, Ms Oviawe and Ms Salami should be prosecuted with immediate effect for endangering the lives of young Edo people with the destruction of education in the state”, Osagie said.
With convulsing viral video of parents, elders and pupils spotted kneeling down in the premises of the dilapidated school structure in Ozalla Community in Uhunmwonde Location Government Areas of Edo State, littering the media space, the call has become expedient going by the billions supposedly earmarked for education infrastructure.
Trojan News Education Correspondent in a voyage to 13 out of the 18 Local Government Areas of Edo state indicated that the State Government allegedly frittered away millions of dollars and billions of Naira on frivolous propaganda of deceptive EdoBEST hogwash, even as parents and old students associations are relentlessly burdened with the tasks of fixing collapsed school structures, as well as employment of teachers in their respective communities all over the state.
Below are the Trojan News findings:
“Edo Central
Our findings in the five local government areas of Edo Central, compromising Esan South-East, Igueben, Esan North East, Esan West and Esan Central was most benighted, reckless and insensitive of an administration with glowing fantasy on how EdoBEST has garnered laureates from international community in the midst of evidently collapsed education sector in the face of disappearances of approved and collected fund for education revamp.”
Uwelu Secondary School, Benin City, Edo State.
A visit to Esan West in Edo Central Senatorial District revealed dilapidated schools building at Ukpughele Primary School, Ekpoma, Eghoro Amede Primary School, Ukhun Primary School, Urohi Primary, EghoroNaoka Primary School, Illen Primary School, Idoa Primary School, Ujogba Primary, Ukhun Secondary School, Iruekpen Mixed Secondary School, Uhumudumu Girls Secondary School, Iruekpen Grammer School, Ujoilen Grammer School, Eghoro Amede Secondary School, Emaudo Second School, Emuhi Primary and Secondary schools, Ikekugbe Primary School, Uhiele Secondary School Ekpoma, and Akugbe Secondary School, Emuhi Ekpoma.”
The story is the same in Esan Central in Uwenugie Primary School, Irrua, Opoji Secondary Commercial School, Eguare Primary School, Irrua, Ewu Grammer School, Ibori Primary School Irrua, Ugbegun Primary School, Umelen Primary School, Ugbegun Secondary School, Eguare Primary School Ewu and Uwesan Primary School, Irrua.
“The conditions in public schools in Esan North East were more debilitating. For instance in Esan Grammer School; Ebhoyi Primary School, Ogbedi Secondary School, Uromi Grammar School, Uzea Primary School, Eror Primary School, Arue Primary School, Ukoni Primary School, Olinlin Primary School, Ewoiki Primary School, ID Oza Primary School, ID obodo Primary School, Asaba Primary School, Eko Omonua Primary School, Eko Ibadin Primary School, Akugbe Primary School, Onumu Akpama as well as Idumegbon Primary School, the decript conditions of the school buildings are benumbing.
“The story was unbelievable pathetic in Igueben where pupils were spotted in another viral video writing examination on concrete bare floor in Igueben Primary School. There are harrowing sites of school structures in Amahor Secondary School, Idumogo Primary School, Igueben Primary School, Ugun Primary School, Ekpon Secondary School, as well as Ebhosa Secondary School, respectively where abandoned structures littered entire distended buildings overtaken by grasses.
“Teachers and parents in what look more like pigsties in a few of the habitable classrooms visited, our Correspondent told in Igueben, Esan North East Local Government Area that without community efforts and old students associations, many schools would have been permanently shutdown for lack of teachers and physical structures.
“Pointing to a sect of three collapsed buildings, Mr Ebalu Henry a class teacher said “those abandoned building were put in place during Ambrose Alli days as Governor of Bendel State, as you can see, successive governments up to the present administration, apart from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with his Red Roof Revolution never thought it wise to invest in education”.
“We have only the Principal and the Vice here on the payroll of the state government without science teachers, with only one Youth Corper, the rest five are engaged by the community and old students associations body in order to provide education for our children”, Mr Ebalu lamented.
Edo North
The rotting from the head of the collapsed education infrastructure was unimaginably visible at Comprehensive Secondary School, Ekpedo, Ogun Primary School, both in Akoko-Edo, Umede Primary School with only one building standing in Aviosi Old, Ilpomaza Grammar school and Afegbua Primary School both in Okpella, Fugar Mixed Secondary School, Fugar, Osagbe Secondary School, Ekperi, Sobe Primary School, Owan West; Olegauma Primary School, Iuleha Primary School, Holy Trinity Grammar School, Ozalla Primary School, Emai Grammar School Okpokhumi, Ajama Modern Primary School in Akoko-Edo, all in Owan East and West, Akoko-Edo and Etsako Central.
Edo South
Ogbe Secondary School, Uwelu Secondary School, Osasere Primary School, Ogba, Ofunmwegbe Primary School, Okada, Orhua Mixed Secondary school (shutdown by Obaseki), Osakpamwan Primary School with only two teachers, Orhua-Ghide Primary School in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area where the Chairman of the Local Area comes, as well as Hon. KC Osamoyin, the member representing Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
Osasere primary school Ogba community orhionwmwon local government Edo states.
The condition of Ogbe Secondary School at the heart of Benin City is a basket case. A member of Rotary Club of Nigeria, Benin chapter told our Correspondent in Benin City that she was drown to tears when the students his told her group who visited the school on an enlightenment campaign mission that their classes and lockers are daily littered with excrements because the school buildings have no doors and windows and that touts have turned their classes to smoking tervan every night.
Mr Osaigbovo Iyekekpolor confided in Trojan News Media Correspondent that the present administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki is the very worst he has witnessed in nearly 90 years of his existence.
“For the first time, I’m witnessing a generation of failure in leadership because your own generation could not sustained General Osaigbovo Ogbemudia and Professor Ambrose Alli’s legacy they left behind in education infrastructure development.
“Once upon a time, these leaders instilled in us the hope of new Nigeria and livable society, now you have allowed our education system to sink into hell.
“These are dark days for Edo State unbeatable history in education development and those in positions of authorities must keep the light of hope aglow is the will make meaningful progress”.
“As always, the devil is in the details because Governor Obaseki would be saying investment in education is not white elephant projects that will attract humongous instant kickbacks.
“With his disruptive policy in the state, the Governor has effectively written off the bottom third of society, as well as ruining the education system and fully subjecting it to his ideological imperatives of non-existent e-learning because he’s clearly in the education-destroying business”, the nonagenarian roared.
A parent while speaking to Trojan News Media correspondent in Ekpoma, enumerated what they went through below:
“My baby wrote the examination. I witnessed it. At a point, they had to go looking for chairs from a private school for pupils to write examination in a government school. It was a mess”, he said.
” The counsel to Joan Oviawe to expand or extend the venues to other private schools did not go down well with Mrs Chinelo Adaobi and the Commissioner because of hundreds of millions at stake for their personal benefits at the expense of the pupils and their parents.”
More agonising is the realisation that Ozavize Salami who was alleged to have been sacked by Obaseki’s private company, was brought to head the State Universal Basic Education.
This begs the question, why wiil Governor Obaseki consider a staff he sacked for lack of performance to hold one of the lucrative agency in the state?
The answer can be best imagined.
Report lifted and Sourced from Trojan News Media.
