By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Member Representing Kauru Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Mukhtar Chawai, on Saturday, visited Ribang Village to sympathize with families of students who died while returning from writing Junior WAEC exams at GSS Fadan Chawai in Mbang River, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Rep member, who condoled the Chief of Chawai, His Highness, Alh. Yahaya Mohammed at Tarya Village en route to the Ribang Village for almost 9 kilometers with his entourage lamented the delipidated state of the road, and lack of a bridge, School, and a hospital.
It would recalled that six students from the Ribang Village had Tuesday got drowned in the Mbang River while returning from writing the just concluded Junior WAEC exams at GSS Fadan Chawai.
Mukhtar, while at the Ribang Village assured the community of his readiness to Synergise with the Federal Government and the State to ensure a bridge is constructed and provide other social basic amenities to prevent future occurrences.
According to him,” the Governor has shown remorse over the sad incident and I have told him to assist this very community with anything that will bring succor and I am glad that he has responded by instructing his Special Adviser on Rural Infrastructure to visit and asses the community on how the State can help and the Governor’s aide promised to come next week.
” The World, and the Government share in your pains over the unfortunate incident that befall you,” Mukhtar stated.
He explained that anywhere they said children are optimistic about going to school to a level where they’re even writing exams and on their way back they meet their untimely death is disheartening and painful.
” We are deeply sad with the loss of these promising children and we believe that the entire land of Chawai will not experience such a sad story again,” Mukhtar prayed.
” May the sacrifice of these children never go in vain, but a sacrifice that’ll attract sustainable development and peaceful coexistence in the entire Local Government Area,” He prayed.
The Village Head, Timothy Nda while fielding questions from our Correspondent lamented that the community since the return of democracy never experienced any Government projects.
He said the only Primary School was built through community effort and the only borehole in the community stopped working for the past 20 years.
” I am appealing to the Government and our representatives to assist us with basic social amenities like access roads, Schools, and health care facilities to ease our livelihood.
The only two surviving students, James Emmanuel and Shedrack Musa narrate their ordeal and disclose that they got stuck on the water holding some small trees for almost 4 hours before they finally gave up.
” How we survived we cannot explained, is just God that we were able to survive that terrible scenario.
” We’re the grown-up ones amongst the eight of us that get stuck, there was nothing those that came to rescue us could do because of the pressure of the water.
” The robe the rescue people threw so that we could hold got hook-up somewhere they had to tell us to say a prayer and leave the tree we were holding but it was unfortunate the six could not survive.” The survivors disclosed in tears.
