Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has sympathised with 16 stranded final year medical students from the state studying abroad.
In a statement signed by its State Chairman, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, and issued on Monday in Port Harcourt, the opposition party in the state said, “After due and careful study of the Save Our Soul (SOS) call by the 16 stranded final year medical students from Rivers State studying abroad that Governor Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike of Rivers State blatantly refused to pay their fees just to ensure that their bright future is ruined simply demonstrates and exposes his hatred for the youths of Rivers State which if not carefully handled may boomerang and sabotaged all the gains that the administration of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi gained for the state in the area of education during his golden tenure as the Rivers State Governor.
“Wike’s act which is targeted at ruining the future of our youths is not only condemnable but unacceptable to us in Rivers State APC.”
The statement further said it “notes with nostalgia all the efforts by Wike to destroy all the legacies of Amaechi which we can’t forget in a hurry including the revolution in education during his administration. It is on record that during the administration of Amaechi, that about 13, 200 teachers was recruited in order to boost and ensure the proper education of our children but sadly all these Teachers were sacked by Wike. For reasons only him (Wike) can fathom the 350 model schools completed by the administration of Amaechi with each with 20 classrooms costing about N116 million each and equipped with ICT facility, modern library, science laboratory, football field, basketball pitch, volleyball pitch and nursery playground. These model primary schools were built to the standard of the United Nations, as obtainable in developed parts of the world and sadly none of these schools is in use in Rivers State.
“Today, the State is suffering because of the wicked neglect of our educational sector by ‘Mr. Disaster’ as he has ruined and stopped the offer of free education up to secondary school level, abolition of all fees in schools, annual oversees scholarships in strategic branches of knowledge, establishment of skills acquisition institutions to draw attention to self-employment and entrepreneurship and, above all, the outsourcing of management of schools in the state initiated by the administration of Amaechi.
“It is very unfortunate and sad that all these efforts that the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi invested so much in positioning Rivers State as an educational endowed State are being destroyed with impunity by an opportunist who lacks what it takes to govern a complex state like Rivers State. We know that Amaechi will be bleeding so heavily in his heart over the happenings in Rivers State but we wish to console him, our youths and the entire Rivers State people that APC will soon by the grace of God and the votes of the people of Rivers State people take over governance and restore sanity and educational values of Rivers State and her people.
“What is it that Wike has not done to demonstrate his disdain for a better future for our youths as we note with regret and sadness his efforts in the destruction of the legacies that Rivers State people are known and noted for? Today, under his watch, Rivers State is now a laughing stock with all that we are known for bastardised. Today, Rivers State is known as Rivers of Blood were the sanctity of human life makes no meaning; den of dustbin where criminals are more respected than educated and enlighten citizens of the State.
“Today, it is sad that Wike prefers to waste Rivers State funds in pursuance of his political relevance and Vice Presidential ambition to the detriment of the education and future of our youths. As we weep for our youths and share in their agony and grief, let us take consolation to the fact that the God we serve is still on His Throne as we are very convinced that He will assist us to regain our State as soon as possible.
“For avoidance of doubt, this is the SOS call from our stranded students – “16 STRANDED final year medical students of All Saints University, St. Vincent and the Grenadines under the sponsorship of the Rivers State Government. His Excellency, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has promised severally to pay our tuition and upkeep, however we have not received upkeep allowance for 2 years and 10 months and all 16 of us were suspended from school in September, 2016 (2 months to our scheduled graduation date of November 2016). Ever since our suspension 12 months ago, we have been staying at home, we don’t eat if we do not beg, landlords have thrown several students outside whilst threatening legal actions to recover unpaid rent”
“Finally, as we prepare to ensure the ouster of this visionless, misguided and opportunist from the Brick House come 2019, we appeal to our Elders, Traditional and Religious Leaders to intervene and prevail on Wike to save these stranded children of Rivers State from further punishment and suffering by paying their fees accordingly. If not for any reason let him act on humanitarian ground if he still has any human feeling which we know that he lacks or save the State from further humiliation by toying the path of honour and resign so that the State can gets its acts together once again.”
