Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole says protesting students of Idogbo Secondary School in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area who destroyed the school property while protesting the death in an accident, of one their colleagues, will pay for the property.
The Governor also directed the Ministry of Lands to demolish, without notice, all illegal structures put up by trespassers on the land of public schools.
Speaking during a visit to the school to access the level of damage to the facilities, Oshiomhole noted that the students had no reason to resort to destruction of the school’s facilities no matter the level of provocation, adding that if teachers could be sanctioned for flouting directives, students were no exemption.
He said: “Let me advise you very strongly that on no account should you vandalise government property and in particular on no account should you vandalise your own school. It is like if you are annoyed over one thing or the other you tear your own shirt, will that make sense?”
According to him, “unfortunately, someone was knocked down by a car and the he died, very unfortunate. We are still trying to find out the role of the teacher whether the death was preventable, who was responsible. I assure you once the facts are clear, government will take the right decision because as a government, the life of every person living in Edo state is important to us and it is even more so when we are talking of children.
“However, nothing justifies the senior secondary schools who were involved in vandalising their own school. You know we are using tax payers’ money to build these schools, we are devoting more of our resources to building beautiful primary schools, and beautiful secondary schools so that all of you would be able to learn in an environment that is clean, by teachers who are well paid.
“Without a sound basic and secondary education you will find it difficult to be able to secure a job in a world that is highly competitive. That is why we are putting a lot in our schools and i am happy you appreciate what we are doing in this school. You don’t destroy what belongs to you. This school is yours because it is the taxes paid by your parents that we are using to build these schools,” he noted.
The Governor disclosed that, “I have directed the principal that for the senior school students they are going to count the cost of all the windows and doors that were damaged and any other thing that was damaged. When they calculate the cost the students responsible for this in the senior secondary school, we will ask them to pay for it. We will ask your parents to pay for it within a limited time and if they don’t pay for it, those students will be suspended from school and they will not be admitted in any government school in Edo State”.
On the illegal structures on the land of public schools, the governor said, “I learnt that individuals have put up illegal structures on the school land. I learnt the ministry of lands have been taken. As I am going back now I will direct the Ministry of Lands and Survey without any notice to demolish and destroy property on government land.
“We don’t need to give them warning because they are illegal. We need to make the point that there is state authority. You encroach on government school, the risk is yours. Then when we begin to take those steps, people will learn to respect public interest”, he added.
The Governor noted that, “for anyone to be so bold to erect a structure on government land, we have to let them know that for now there is public authority. If you develop government land, you stand the risk of your property being demolished.”
