Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described as appalling and pathetic the negligent conducts of Government Science Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja that resulted in the death by electrocution of the 16-year-old boy identified as Meshack Agaba.
HURIWA stated that from empirical evidence it generated through human intelligence and constant interfaces with students of public schools in Abuja, majority of the learning institutions lacked relevant social amenities and workable infrastructures necessary for learning.
A statement signed by HURIWA national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Wednesday, called for the intervention of Federal Capital Territory Administration on the infrastructural emergency in public schools in the FCT with the immediate rehabilitation of the ill-equipped schools.
HURIWA alleged that: “Even schools located in the metropolis such as the Government Secondary School next to the offices of the Nigerian Customs Service and the Federal Road Safety Commission in Zone 3, are in very terrible state with most of these buildings having cracks in their walls showing that if prompt maintenance works aren’t carried out, we might just be sitting on a keg of gunpowder which might implode soon”.
The rights group which decried the alleged absence of quality control and lack of a quick and effective maintenance culture in that specific school as the cumulative causes of the avoidable death of the young student, advocated the establishment of a centre for monitoring workings of infrastructures within school environments to stave off repeat of recent ugly incident as a result of the pervasive state of negligence in the school system.
HURIWA also condemned the absence of first aid clinic in Government Science Secondary School, Maitama as well as in many public schools in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria, even as it called on relevant authorities to take steps to safeguard the learning environment of the young generation.
Besides, HURIWA appealed to the Minister of FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike as a parent, to institute a transparent investigative panel to uncover exactly the circumstances of the death of the 16-year-old student Meshack Agada.
” HURIWA has also advocated that political office holders should enrol their children in public schools as that will compel them to stamp out the pervasive culture of negligence that comes from institutional corruption.
“We hereby appeal to the Abuja Minister to set up an Independent Coroner, post-mortems and panel of inquest to ascertain what exactly led to the death of this student of Government Secondary School in Maitama Abuja. Part of this investigative inquest should capture why electrical power infrastructure in that school couldn’t be maintained after a part of it collapsed.
“HURIWA recalled that a tragedy struck Government Science Secondary School in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory when a 16-year-old boy identified as Meshack Agaba died of electrocution inside the school premises. The incident happened last Wednesday, ” the statement added.
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