Wednesday, 16 October 2013

9 Children Killed On Their Way To School In UYO

Ewet Offot community in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has sent a request letter to governor Godswill Akpabio to establish a primary school in the area to avoid further deaths of their children who have to travel several kilometres just to attend schools in neighbouring communities.

The community claimed that nine children have been killed by moving vehicles while on their way to schools in other areas, because Ewet Offot remains the only community in Uyo Capital City without a government owned primary school

In an open letter to Gov. Godswill Akpabio entitled “Please Give Ewet Offot a Primary School”, signed by Messrs. Aniefiok Ebong and Alexander Edet, president and secretary general respectively, the youth claimed that despite the free and compulsory education policy implemented by the government, it was unfortunate that most communities in the state had to trek for kilometres before they could have access to schools.

According to the letter, since the land was acquired by the state government in the 70s for the purpose of establishing Ewet Housing Estate, they have been trying to draw the attention of the state government to the sad fact: although Ewet Offot is the pioneer and the biggest land donor for development in the State, it still remains one of very few villages in Akwa Ibom State without a government primary school.

The letter reads in part:

“Our children, some as young as three years, travel several kilometres to attend primary schools in other communities like Anua, Eniong, Christ the King Primary School, Wellington Bassey Way, etc. because the place that had been earmarked for a primary school was then taken over for the construction of a makeshift timber market. In recent days, we have lost about nine young children who were knocked down by vehicles while walking long distances to attend primary schools,” the group said.

The community also called on governor Akpabio to include their community in the free and compulsory education programme of the state government by means of establishing a primary school, promising to provide a piece of land free of charge for the project.

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