The people of Gele-Gele Community in Ovia North East local government area of Edo State have decried the dearth of teachers in the only two public schools in the area.
While drawing the government’s attention to what they described as “abnormally,” the community noted that they have been hiring teachers in these schools through communal efforts for several years.
In a press conference in Gele-Gele on Friday, the community through its spokesman, Chief Macauley Amaokosuwei-Gboluwei, said despite being an oil-producing community, the community lacks basic social amenities.
He regretted that in spite of numerous visits and individual appeals to the immediate past government of the state on the situation in the community, nothing was done to address the issues raised.
According to the spokesman, the only road leading to the community has been in a pitiable state and the immediate past government of Godwin Obaseki failed to address it.
Similarly, he said that ‘EdoBEST’ under the last administration was only a gimmick and asked the new administration led by Senator Monday Okpebholo to assist in addressing the situation, especially teaching staff, in public schools across the state.
“This is the pitiable situation we find ourselves in Gele-Gele Community today; lack of teachers and other amenities in both the schools and the community.
“In our senior secondary school, we have just the principal and vice principal while the junior secondary has only the principal. A similar situation plays out in the primary school.
“Those who can afford it have taken their children to Benin for proper education while the majority of people have to make-do with contributing money to hire teachers to teach their children in the government schools here.
“Aside the challenges of teaching staff, these schools lack chairs and desks. Most students sit on the floor to be taught.
“As for the road, you saw it yourself how hellish it was driving down to the community.
“Yet, we had a government who told the world that Gele-Gele Road was being constructed for the failed sea port project,” he stated.
Also, the chairman of Gele-Gele Community, Comrade Omaghomi Olu-Derimon, said that the community which hosts one of the largest forest reserves in West Africa does not deserve to be neglected in terms of government presence.
The former secretary of Ijaw Youths, Western Zone, asserted that as ijaw people in Gele-Gele Community, they don’t have a voice in the state legislature.
He appealed to Senator Monday Okpebholo-led government to change the Gele-Gele Community narrative by proffering solutions to its numerous challenges.
