The Mayor of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Sir Allwell Ihunda has assured residents that the council will deploy security personnel to schools recently reconstructed and renovated by his administration to prevent vandalism and protect public facilities.
Ihunda gave the assurance during the commissioning and official handover of the newly reconstructed and furnished Township Model Primary School II, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, stressing that the council would not allow vandals to destroy facilities on which substantial public resources had been expended.
The Mayor expressed gratitude to God for the resources and enablement that made the project possible, noting that the transformation of the school represented a significant departure from its former deplorable condition.
He recalled that the facility had suffered extensive vandalism, resulting in the removal of classroom furniture, fittings, boards and other school infrastructure.
“To the glory of God, we are gathered today to commission this place and hand over the school back to the Schools Board. What we have done has changed the entire narrative of this place. Our children can now sit comfortably and learn in a very conducive atmosphere, and we believe that this will enhance their performance positively,” Ihunda said.
Ihunda said the council had strengthened the school’s perimeter security as part of the reconstruction and would take further measures to protect its investment.
“From today, we are going to provide security for the schools that we have intervened in. We are going to deploy security personnel, not only to this school but also to the Iche Akarolo Model Primary School that was commissioned yesterday, until we are convinced that the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board is prepared and ready to take over the security of the facilities under its care,” he stated.
He also appealed to residents, community leaders and stakeholders within the affected wards to take ownership of the schools and promptly report suspicious activities.
The Mayor further reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to upgrading public schools across the LGA, noting that Port Harcourt City has 20 wards and over 70 primary schools requiring varying degrees of attention.
He cited the Salvation Army Primary School in Ward 6 as another facility requiring urgent intervention and said the council had commenced plans toward its reconstruction.
The council chairman acknowledged the contributions of old pupils and other stakeholders to the development of public schools, while appealing for continued collaboration to provide children with safe and conducive learning environments.
In his goodwill message, the Leader of the Rainbow Coalition in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Eze Ken Chikere, congratulated Ihunda for undertaking what he described as a people-centred project that would directly benefit children and future generations.
Chikere, however, called for stronger community ownership of public projects, warning against the destruction and theft of government facilities by residents. He said the responsibility for protecting the newly renovated schools should not rest solely with government, urging individuals and communities to regard the facilities as their own.
“It is our own children also, some of them are young, some of them are as old as myself, who come to facilities like this and rip them off. If, as individuals and communities, we make up our minds to own the projects that we have, we can protect them for our children,” Chikere said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board and Special Guest of Honour, Hon. Sam Ogeh, commended the council for the intervention but challenged parents, teachers and education stakeholders to ensure that the investment translates into increased school enrolment and attendance.
Ogeh noted that reconstructing and equipping a school was only part of the responsibility, insisting that the facilities must be effectively utilised by pupils.
“Putting in place a structure, renovating the structure or bringing it back to the best shape it has ever been is simply 50 per cent of the job done. The Mayor, you have done 50 per cent; more needs to be done. We need our students to be here, and I want to enjoin everyone to join us in our drive towards ensuring that every child of school age comes to school,” he said.
