Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
No fewer than 650 pupils of Eziogbo Primary School in Okukwa village, Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have been thrown out of school due to a ravaging flood that has submerged the school.
The flood waters, which covered the school premises and other residential houses around the area, have rendered many homeless, causing hardship to the affected people of the community.
The Head Mistress of Eziogbo Primary School, Mrs Leticia Umeadi, described the situation as unusual, saying it was noticed on resumption of school after the long vacation.
“Since I started working in this school in 2012, I have never witnessed this type of problem. It was when the school re-opened that we observed flood waters everywhere within school premises.
“I thought it was flood waters coming from the road, but only to notice that buildings behind the school were already covered by raging flood waters coming out from underground,’’ Umeadi said.
While lamenting damages occasioned by the situation, she called for urgent intervention measures by relevant authorities to control the situation to allow for normal academic activities to resume at the school.
The Secretary-General of Amansea Development Union (ADU), Mr Isaac Okoye, said that the source of the ravaging flooding had yet to be ascertained, adding that the existence of the community was threatened.
“We have never witnessed this kind of thing in our community. This cannot be attributed to flood because there is no flood infested area around the village,” he said.
“Many buildings are now submerged in the village and the road linking Egbeagu and Ifite Awka-UNZIK road is being gradually cut off by the surging flood,’’ he said.
He called on the government to remedy the situation to avoid plunging the community into greater hardship that would require resettlement in holding centres.
One of the many victims of the flood, Mr Martin Obi, lamented that his compound had been submerged by the flood waters resulting in the loss of his personal effects.