Exposed; Video/Photos : Delta schools in monumental rot inspite of N12B spent on education within last 3 years

By Cletus Opukeme ( Warri) and Lucky Ojigbo, Abuja

As commissioner Mrs. Rose Ezewu accused Daily Watch journalists as blackmailers who visited schools to expose the rot in Delta public secondary schools.

Watch short video of rot in Delta state public schools. Daily Watch investigators recorded few schools in deplorable state through struggle with school principals and staff who have been  directed by the Commissioner of basic education Mrs. Rose Ezewu through a circular to all schools in the state to frustrate Daily Watch from exposing the rot in Delta state public schools. In some schools, our camera crew was chased out to hide the rot in public schools.

That the Delta State government budgets billions for education in the state yearly budgets is no need neither is it news that the state Commissioner keeps over praising the executive governor of the state over the state of schools in the state,what is news and  known to Deltans is the heavy rot that schools in almost all the Senatorial zones in the state are presently in.

Daily watch fact finding visit to several
Secondary schools in the state showed a disgraceful state of decay in almost all the infrastructures in most of the school s visited just added several schools are bereft of adequate staff for genuine learning.
In the urban centres it was shocking to see pupils at this time and age sitting on bare floors in several of the school s like Nana College which is designated as a model school in the state yet have over six classrooms empty of simple furniture and the kids all sitting and writing on the bare floor.

In the JSS 1 class,three of the classrooms have kids on new uniform crawling on the floor in the sordid name of learning just as three other classrooms in the SS segments also have the same shameful situation.

The case of College of Commerce Igbudu (Warri) in Warri  South LGA is another sad story. The school pupils faced contionius flooding even in dry season with a sudden downpour of 20 or 30 minutes as the entire compounded will be aggressively flooded making pupils and staff of the college to be soaked in artificial river. This bad condition according to a student who spoke with earnest pleading not to mention his name said, ” This artificial flloding  has been in years. That during rainy seasons, the school will be forced to close down for months until the season is rainy over. The funniest part is that even in dry season when rain falls for few minutes, we will be forced to walked inside water with all our socks, sandals and legs wet.”

The situation in Ekpan secondary school is even worse as pupils were shocking found not just sitting on bare floor in o er crowded classrooms but the so called floors are bereft of cement making the the students to be virtually sitting on the sand in each of the four classrooms used by the school as JSS 1 and 2.

Daily watch crew also almost wept at Ubeji where as much as eight classrooms are empty of furniture with students on the floor,in several other schools Daily Watch monitors visited, the story is the same scenario replicated of rot and despair.

If the issue of furniture is a shocking expose then the shortage of teaching staff is even shock Deltans the more as some schools in the state have no science teachers while others are understaffed with some good principals rushing to employ as much as ten,six and some cases four adhoc teachers from their PTA purse to help the shameful situation .

The rot of Delta Public schools may have been seen or reliably informed  by loyalists of  the deputy Senate President Chief Senator Ovie Omo- Agege who last week threw a stone at Okowa condemning the style of his poor  approach on infrastructure in the state. The Senate deputy president who is a chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta state and is also  warming hstrongly  to contest the number one seat in Delta state did not mince his words when he scored Governor Okowa’s administration below pass mark.

Senator Omo Agege described Okowa administration for second tenure as a poor performer on infrastructure across the 25 local government areas in the state. This position by Senator Omo-Agege on Okowa’s performance had stemmed a vehement media attack being carried out by Okowa and his lieutenants defending his administration and series of medals won by Okowa, including best givermor’s awards in the country. What were the parameters used by the award givers when in reality the entire Delta state is shambo? Does Okowa purchased the laurels or his media tram deceived those who gave out the medals as best governor. Okowa’s new roads are washing away within six month on serious rainfall. The health sector is dying like the education sector which perhaps we may focus to give detailed both video and pictorial evidences.

Daily Watch does not applaud Senator Omo-Agege’s position despite it helps to reveal and correlates  or corroborates with our independent findings of poor infrastructure in the state.  What we ask is, if DSP Omo-Agege eventually wins in 2023 governorship under the platform of APC, would he have the courage to change the rot in Delta public schools? Omo- Agege was a former Delta stare SSG under former Governor Chief James Ibori during his days in PDP, his pointing of fingers is much like the’case of the  ‘kettle accussiing the pot of being black”

The incoming or successor of Okowa’s administration has a lot of job at hand as both former Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduangha and Okowa have jointly killled several sectors ( especially roads, education  and health sectors) in the state with nothing to show, despite huge federal allocations running to trilliins of naira.

In Delta state on Daily Watch fact finding visit to most of the schools,  teaching and furniture apart,the schools are bereft of funding to get even marker n chalk as the case maybe as the government doesn’t supply same or give financial muscles to the schools so as the paltry fifteen thousand naira so called subventions even in this time of hyper inflation has not been paid to school heads for years yet teachings are going on these schools due to the industrious and personal effort of most of these principals who Daily watch can not mention for obvious reasons just as so many of them rebuffed Daily watch attempts to speak with them on the shameful and near dearth of teachers and facilities in almost all the schools thereby making secondary Education in Delta State just what it is,a glorified structures.

Daily watch also spoke to several community leaders cutting a cross the different localitiesa where these secondary schools are a d the stories were appealing with many claiming that the government just intentionally left the schools to rot so that poor parents who can’t afford the private schools will just remain suffering in the name of going to school.

In the words of Mr Samson Ejiroghene in Ubeji” This government is only helping Education on papers as the reality on ground shows grand deceit by the state governor in their claims on Education,the real term to describe state of schools and Education in Delta State is monumental scam,419″

As for pa Reuben in Ugbokodo were staff and principal are using the school corridors as their staff room with over four classrooms having no roof “We heard many other surrounding communities have resigned to fate as all the government does is propaganda and total lies when it comes to Education and the so-called billions we heard they budgeted for Education every year as what we see in schools is a disgraceful eyesore”

In almost all the communities where these secondary schools are the story remains the same,one shortage of teachers,no facilities and pupils sitting on the bare floor and learning in dangerously regressive environment.
The pictures and videos below are typical state of most of the schools in the state with several more of the videos and pictures available and in our possession despite several blockade,obstacles put in place by the principal’s to stop Daily watch from getting the pictures and videos over their fear of untoward consequences from the government if such pictures and stories come out in the open.

From available past years budgetary record, it is on record that within the last three years, from 2019 – 2021, the state government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has spent huge billions of naira allocated on education, running to at least N12 billion ( Twelve billion naira)

What one cannot tell exactly whether the huge annual budgetary allocation was spent meticulously for the purpose or it was diverted by the various past commissioners of education in Delta State.

There is another school of thought that the past Delta state governors, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and two times sitting governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa were deceived by the various commissioners of education, perhaps as a result of non close monitoring on their commissioners who may have swindled the governor after perfecting white paper works.

Daily watch attempts again to talk with to the Commissioner for Education met a brick wall initially as she rather than addressing the issue, rather used ‘gutter language’ to go to the market square dancing naked and accusing Daily Watch of blackmail yet not substantiating same or disputing the truth stating her and the government in the face.

But after Daily Watch first salvo, accusing the commissioner of connivance with school principals on admission extortion.

Commissioner for basic education, Mrs Rose Ezewu while reacting to Daily Watch earlier publication described poor infrastructure in public schools and admission extortion by principals while she looked to bother way as pack of lies.

She described the report as baseless and amounted to discrediting the achievements of the state government in the education sector. She therefore, also described Daily Watch journalists of being unprofessional and engaged in unethical journalism for exposing the rot in the state educational sector with our earlier report on Delta school.

Ezewu said that the Okowa Administration had continued to give priority attention to the education sector, adding that the state government would continue to sustain the upgrading of public secondary and primary schools in the state.

She accused Daily Watch who had seen the developmental strides of Governor Okowa in the education sector had not been reporting same, but had resorted to painting negative pictures of the state government in the education sector from their imaginations.

She said that chairs and tables for students have been distributed continuously to various public schools in the state.

The commissioner also said that ever since she joined public service and later appointed as the State Commissioner for Secondary Education by Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, she had not been found wanting, let alone involved in extortion of parents through the CIEs, just as she disclosed that she had always been interfacing with the CIEs to ensure that only government approved levies were collected in schools.

The same backlash was unleashed on the Honourable Senator, the deputy Senate President, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege when he spoke on general deplorable state of infrastructure in Delta.

The Delta state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa almost called for the head of the deputy senate president with accusations of inciting the people in the state against the government. Several PDP loyalists in Delta who never saw anything wrong with the state government carried out coordinated media campaign against the deputy senate President for taking a swipe against the government.

That the Delta State government budgets billions for education in the state yearly budgets is no news neither is it news that the state Commissioner keeps over praising the executive governor of the state over the state of schools in the state,what is news and not known to Deltans is the heavy rot that schools in almost all the Senatorial zones in the state are presently in.

Daily watch fact finding visit to several
Secondary schools in the state showed a disgraceful state of decay in almost all the infrastructure in most of the schools visited just as several schools are bereft of adequate staff for genuine learniworks.

In the urban centres it was shocking to see pupils at this time and age sitting on bare floors in several of the schools like Nana College ,Ekpan Secondary,Egbokodo,Ogbe Secondary,Ubeji and many others which are shockingly designated as model schools in the state yet have several classrooms empty of simple furniture and the kids all sitting and writing on the bare floor. Cutting across
divers class, In Nana for example three of the classrooms have kids on new uniform crawling on the floor in the sordid name of learning just as three other classrooms in the SS segments also have the same shameful situation.

The situation in Ekpan secondary school is even worse as pupils were shocking found not just sitting on bare floor in over crowded classrooms but shamefully,the so called floors are bereft of cement making the the students to be virtually sitting on the sand in each of the four classrooms used by the school as JSS 1 and 2.

Daily watch crew also almost wept at Ubeji where as much as eight classrooms are empty of furniture with students on the floor,in several other schools, Daily Watch team visited, the story is the same scenario replicated of rot and despair replicated.

If the issue of furniture is a shocking expose then the shortage of teaching staff will even be more shocking to Deltans the as some schools in the state have no science teachers while others are understaffed with some good principals rushing to employ as much as ten,six and in some cases four adhoc teachers from their PTA purse to help the shameful situation inspite of the same government banning of PTA payments.

Teaching and furniture apart,the schools are bereft of funding to get even markers and chalks as the case maybe as the government doesn’t supply same or give financial muscles to the schools just as the paltry fifteen thousand naira so called subventions for these are hardly paid even in this time of hyper inflation has not been paid to school heads for years yet teachings are going on these schools due to the industrious and personal effort of most of these principals who Daily watch can not mention for obvious reasons just as so many of them rebuffed Daily watch attempts to speak with them on the shameful and near dearth of teachers and facilities in almost all the schools thereby making secondary Education in Delta State just what it is,a glorified structures.

Daily watch also spoke to several community leaders cutting a cross the different localities where these secondary schools are located and the stories or is it verdicts were appallng with many claiming that the government just intentionally left the schools to rot so that poor parents who can’t afford the private schools will just remain suffering in the name of going to school.

In the words of one Mr Samson Ejiroghene in Ubeji” This government is only helping Education on papers as the reality on ground shows grand deceit by the state governor in their claims on Education,the real term to describe state of schools and Education in Delta State is monumental scam,419″
As for Pa Reuben in Egbokodo were staff and principal are using the school corridors as their staff room with over four classrooms having no roof and pupils on bare floors”We heard many other surrounding communities have resigned to fate as all the government does is propaganda and total lies when it comes to Education and the so-called billions we heard they budgeted for Education every year as what we see in schools is a disgraceful eyesore”
In almost all the communities where these secondary schools are the story remains the same,shortages of teachers,no facilities, pupils sitting on the bare floors and learning in dangerously regressive environment.

The pictures and videos below are typical state of most of the schools in the state with several more of the videos and pictures available and in our possession despite several blockade,obstacles put in place by the principals to stop Daily watch from getting the pictures and videos over their fear of untoward consequences from the government if such pictures and stories come out in the open.

From available past years budgetary allocations to Education from Delta state government digital archives, https://www.deltastate.gov.ng it clearly shows that within the last three years, from 2019 – 2021, the state government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had spent colosal billions of naira allocated on education, running over N12 billion , yet several school pupils are sitting on bare floor to receive lessons. Many schools have no science equipment,not even laboratories, no libraries, inadequate manpower, especially in science and English subjects across the 25 LGA.

What one cannot tell exactly is whether the huge annual budgetary allocation for Education was spent meticulously for the purpose or if it was diverted by the various past commissioners of education in Delta State. There is another school of thought that the past Delta state governors, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and two times sitting governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa were deceived by the various commissioners of education, perhaps as a result of not too close monitoring on their commissioners who have in many cases may have swindled the governor after perfecting white paper works

Daily watch attempts again to talk with the Commissioner for Education met a brick wall as she rather than addressing the issue,  used harsh and ‘gutter language’ to go to the market square dancing naked and accusing Daily Watch of blackmail yet not substantiating same or disputing the truth stating her and the government iand people of Delta State in the face.

The same backlash was unleashed on the Honourable Senator, the deputy Senate President, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege when he spoke on general deplorable state of infrastructure in Delta.

The Delta state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa almost called for the head of the deputy senate president with accusations of inciting the people in the state against the government when in truth what is on ground and painted by the Deputy Senate President seemed factual to some extent. Several PDP loyalists in Delta who never saw anything wrong with the state government carried out coordinated media campaign against the e deputy senate President for taking a swipe against the government with concrete facts based on our fact findings to almost all schools in the state.

Multiple award winning Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa while reacting to criticisms on Friday funeral service of late Mrs Hannah Macaulay at St. Philips Anglican Church, Owhelogbo in Isoko North Locai Government Area had admonished critics of his administration to engage on constructive criticism good for sustainable development and this Daily Watch is doing with over fifty pictures and video s of sour state of schools under Okowa.

According to him, constructive criticism remained one of the most vital ingredients for democratic growth and sustainable development of any nation.

He said that he was not against people criticising his programmes and policies but that such criticisms must be truthful, objective and not for political reasons.

He said that as governor of the entire state, he was unmindful of the quarters where criticisms could come from for as long as they were intended to add value to governance.

“No matter what they say and what they are, we will still remain brothers and sisters.

“When the truth is spoken, it is not hidden but when a lie is told, it is necessary we speak the truth in other not to mislead the people.

“If you think that I am not doing well in any area or there is an idea or suggestion you have, you can criticise me or advice me privately as some people, including Archbishop Cyril Odutemu, always do

“When local government councils in the state were owing workers salaries, the archbishop was always appealing to me to assist them.

“It wasn’t easy for the state but we were able to assist the councils in two instalments; first with N2.6 billion and later N8 billion.

“We are in very difficult times as a nation but with prayers, things can get better for our country,” the governor said.

He called for unity and love among citizens of the state, and advised the people, including the elite, to show affection and eschew bitterness in relating with others.this admonishment of the government can be said to be one of the propelling force that made Daily watch trip to a small part of the Educational sector with plans to visit other sectors too to show case the giant strides where necessary and the rot and deceit if any as days rolls into weeks and months .

Editor’s ten recommendation

1. Review old monthly school subvention payment of N15,000 which the government has been paying since 2015. Yet, it could not pay regularly.

2. Governors should recruit special taskforce on school projects monitoring that report directly to him. This should be made up of not staff, but human rights activists, journalists that are not paid government workers that can visit schools unannounced.

3. Government should absorb present qualified adhoc sstaff engaged by principals in schools. This should include security men from the locality.

4. Recruit more science and English teachers to fill schools with no or less manpower on those essential subjects.

5. Approve unified PTA levy for schools.

6. Government should fence all schools in the state to curb hoodlums using classrooms for smoking India hemp and other nefarious activities as well as destruction of school facilities.

7. Equip science laboratories and Libraries

8.Governors should carry out unscheduled visits to schools less escort and engage some of the pupils on discussion.

9. Principals should b be given powers to engage old boys of schools to assist for funding/maintenance of schools.

10. Admissions fees, sundry payments by government must be made public in radio/TV , newspapers and made compulsory to be pasted on school notice boards and premises to curb this ‘mad’ extortionist policies of most principals.

Additional reports by Steve Seigha, Joy Isiaka and Solomon Ebipade.

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