Scorpions threaten pupils in Delta school

 

 

The school overgrown by weeds

Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

PUPILS at the Delta State Government-owned Oko -Amakor Primary School, Oko near Asaba-Onitsha Head Bridge have raised the alarm over the continued threats to their lives by scorpions and rodents.

The fear of reptiles by the pupils at the school has developed just as there has been tension over the N34m allegedly spent to renovate the school.

Investigation revealed that residents of the community last week protested poor renovation works carried out by a firm (name withheld) with the sum of N34 million donated for the renovation works by Julius Berger Nigeria Limited to the state government.

It was also gathered that before the renovation of the school, the dilapidated buildings haboured hoodlums who allegedly waylaid and dispossessed residents.

But a woman, who claimed to be a senior teacher in the school, Mrs. Adukwe said, “We are happy with the renovation works, but the only problem is strange scorpions, including other reptiles that we see every morning inside the over grown weeds.

“We also need security to protect facilities in the school. We are grateful to Julius Berger for

assisting the state government; we still want the state government to provide security personnel, including labourers to clear the overgrown weeds where the scorpions and the reptiles are coming to threaten our pupils.”

The residents of the community had protested, alleging that poor renovation was carried out in the school. During the protest, the protesters armed with placards, said, “We want to know if the N34m was actually expended on the renovation work because of the poor contract work.

“The contractors did not spend the money, but they gave us a poor job and the school presently is overgrown by weeds, thereby making the students to learn under serious threats.”

But the State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Chinedu Ebie, said the government was looking into the protest and added that labourers would soon be deployed to clear the overgrown weeds while the entire school premises would be fumigated.