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Residents of
Boji-Boji metropolis and environs have been counting their loses following a
heavy rainstorm that occoured in the afternoon of Sunday, February 21, 2010 in
the area. The rainfall which started at about 5.00mp that day with a heavy
cloud enveloping the entire community, was nevertheless unexpected by residents
of the community, since it was a very fair whether all through that day.
Some
residents who spoke to Ika Weekly said that they left their home for one
function or another on that Sunday, leaving the windows of their houses
unlocked. But by the time they go home after the rain, their rooms have been
soaked in water, destroying furniture, stationeries and other household
equipment.
At
Ogbemudein Mixed Senior Secondary School where 3 classrooms, 2 cubicles and a
section of the staff room had their roofing sheets blown off, and a part of the
new Education Trust Fund, E.T.F., building destroyed, the Ag. Principal of the
school, Mrs. Ikechukwu B.N. said she got the news of the incident that evening
through the Vice Principal, Academy, Mr. Nwanerizim who was returning home
after the rain and was alerted by the security man in the school. She later
invited the chairman of Parents-Teachers Association of the school, Mr. Imasua
S.D., to come and see things for himself. She added that the Ika South Local
Government Council’s Chief Inspector of Education has also been contacted to
see the extent of damage done to the school by the rainstorm. Mrs. Ikechukwu
went further to say that some of her students have been adversely affected by
the destruction, as they were made to join other students to receive lectures
in already congested classrooms. “The classrooms mostly affected by the
rainstorm include Senior Secondary School IIA and senior Secondary School IC.
We however thank God that the incident did not occur during school hours. That
would have been more devasting than this,” she said also adding that the school
was on mid-term break when the rainstorm occurred.
Also
speaking, the P.T.A Chairman, Mr. Imasua S.D. described the incident as very
sad. He reiterated a similar incident which occoured in the school on March 2,
2008 a block of 2 classrooms were blown off by rainstorm and regretted that
when the then Commissioner for Education was informed of the incident that
year. Nothing was done to assist the school towards rebuilding the destroyed
classrooms. He said that carpenters have been invited to look at the damage
done and find out how much it will cost to but everything back to order. “We
intend to call a P.T.A. meeting, but the reconstruction may be difficult for us
to shoulder consi0dering the extent of damage done to the buildings,” he told
Ika Weekly. He used the opportunity to call on well-meaning Ika sons and
daughters to rise up to the occasion and assist in reconstructing the classroom
blocks and other parts of the school affected by rainstorm.
Also
at Christ the King School situated at Andy Yama, by Dr. Whyte Streets, the
damage done to the school by the rainstorm of that afternoon could be described
used to build a fence in the school, broken down, and fruit trees whi0ch used
to form some shade in the school compound were either uprooted or had their
stems yanked off by the heavy storm. Mr. Ogwudile Sherack, Principal of the
school said that the Senior Secondary School 1, II, and III including parts of
the principal’s office were the areas most affected by the rain. He
estimated the cost of the damage to be
hundreds of thousands of naira and called on kind-spirited individuals and
organizations to assist in reconstructing the destroyed buildings.
As at the time of
filing this report, news of the devastating rainstorm was still being discussed
by residents of their community, who also believe hat going by the amount of
rains already witnessed this month it is possible that Ika land and indeep
other parts of the country will experience heavy downpour this year.
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