Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has warned that any government official, contractor or group of persons found to have contributed to the present poor conditions of some primary schools under the Universal Basic Education Board in the state will face the full wrath of the law.
Regretting that the state of affairs has undermined the conducive learning environment that would have been available for the children vowed to take disciplinary action against any such contractor or official of the government at at the end of the present inquiry into what has gone amiss in the system.
Ugwuanyi issued the warning during the inauguration of an eight-member administrative committee for the completion of the State Universal Basic Education Board projects at the Government House, Enugu, saying that the inauguration was imperative considering the deplorable and unbefitting state of such schools in the state.
“I hasten to add that at the end of the understanding, any person more especially contractors and officials found to have either by deliberate omission, commission or negligence contributed to this unpleasant state of affairs in our schools will certainly be called upon to answer”, he stated.
Governor Ugwuanyi observed that no responsible government would allow such conditions to continue to exist in its schools, and enjoined the committee headed by his deputy, Hon Cecilia Ezeilo, to investigate this ugly situation and recommend the appropriate measures to reverse the situation.
He recalled that shortly after his assumption of office and in line with his promise to improve the standard of education and educational facilities in the state that he embarked on unscheduled visits to primary schools in different locations in the state.
He added that his visits proved to be quite instructive and revealing as he met some of the schools in shockingly, deplorable and unbefitting state.
According to the governor, the headship of the committee by his deputy, Hon Cecilia Ezeilo underscores the seriousness and importance government attached to the obligation, adding that the outcome of the committee’s investigation would not only help guarantee the safety of the schools but would also ensure that school children in the state are offered the chance to study in conditions and environment that favour proper intellectual and social development.
In a brief remark, the chairperson of the committee, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, the deputy governor of the state, assured the governor of the committee’s readiness to carry out its assignment with diligence and without fear or favour.