Delta Flood: Fishes Swimming in Classrooms

FOM Abuja: Flooding is not new in Delta State as some schools in Delta state has been submerged by flood  and the state government is aware of the situation, yet something has been done.

At Tsekelewu and other Polobubo riverine communities in Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, as primary school pupils kicked out by flood, moaned publicly, calling on the state government to reconstruct the schools, as they do not want to stay redundant at home, while their counterparts in the cities study. 

Flooded office of the Headmistress Minyen Primary School, Tekelewu, Madam Kembe Pere. NDV gathered that due to the catastrophe, the pupils, who were supposed to have resumed for the new academic session, September 8, had been forced home, as all their classes were taken over by water and fishes swimming in their classrooms. 

We don’t want to stay home doing nothing One of the weeping pupils, Master Wasai Destiny, a Primary six pupil of Minyen Primary School, Tsekelewu, asserted: “We are begging for urgent government attention, we do not want to sit down at home doing nothing. We that cannot go to big schools in the cities should not be left in this kind of condition. Government should come and bail us out; we want to go to school.” 

Several schools and offices were shut down due to flooding within and around the premises when NDV visited. Besides the pupils, thousands of villagers were also displaced by overpowering flood. 

Distressing pupils can’t resume —Headmistress of Minyen Primary School, Tsekelewu, Madam Kembe Pere, said the flood had been a recurring problem in the area, pleading that urgent steps be taken to redress it. 

Madam Pere asserted that it was painful that pupils would not be able to resume immediately for the new academic session, which took off in the state September 8, as all the classes in the school have been taken over by water.

 “The flood started last Sunday, but we have been experiencing this sort of situation for years, it happens every year and whenever it comes, there will be no school, the students will compulsorily have to go on ‘holiday.’ 

I am pleading with the government to help us to rebuild this structure” Relocate victims to safe haven—Asoki,community leader Community leaders, Messrs Dickson Asoki and Pa James Gbalubi, who also lamented the predicament of the people, said government should relocate residents to safe haven, provide them with relief materials as their houses had been taken over by flood. 

“The things we will need the government to do for us immediately are to start talking of how to relocate our people to somewhere safe, they should start giving out relief materials. 

Our children are losing out in terms of education as their classrooms have already been taken over by flood, government should please start thinking of where to take our students to learn so they don’t lose out totally in the state’s educational system. 

“As a community, we have been doing what we have done over the years whenever we have situations like this, but what we are saying is we can only do but a little and maybe it is because we have been using self-help all along that makes government feel we are comfortable. It is time for government to come and save us before it will be too late,” Mr. Asoki said.