From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Member Representing Kauru Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Mukhtar Chawai, visited Ribang Village penultimate Saturday,, to sympathise with the families of students who drowned in the Mbang River the previous week. The students were returning from writing Junior WAEC exams at GSS Fadan Chawai, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, when the incident occurred.
The two surviving students, James Emmanuel and Shedrack Musa, narrated how they survived the drowning while their colleagues perished.
The Reps member, who offered condolences to the Chief of Chawai, His Highness Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed, at Tarya Village en route to Ribang Village, lamented the dilapidated state of the nine-kilometre road and the lack of a bridge, school, and hospital.
While at Ribang Village, Mukhtar assured the community of his readiness to work with the Federal Government and the State to ensure that a bridge is constructed and other basic social amenities are provided to prevent future occurrences.
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He said, “The Governor has shown remorse over the sad incident, and I have told him to assist this community with anything that will bring succour. I am glad that he has responded by instructing his Special Adviser on Rural Infrastructure to visit and assess the community to see how the State can help. The Governor’s aide promised to come next week.
“The world and the Government share in your pain over the unfortunate incident that befell you,” Mukhtar stated.
He expressed empathy, saying the untimely death of the students was disheartening and painful because they were willing to go to school against all odds.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of these promising children, and we believe that the entire land of Chawai will not experience such a sad story again.
“May the sacrifice of these children never be in vain, but a sacrifice that will attract sustainable development and peaceful coexistence in the entire Local Government Area,” he prayed.
The Village Head, Timothy Nda, lamented that the community had not experienced any government projects since the return of democracy.
He said the only Primary School was built through community effort and that the only borehole in the community stopped working 20 years ago.
“I am appealing to the Government and our representatives to assist us with basic social amenities like access roads, schools, and healthcare facilities to ease our livelihood,” Chief Nda said.
The two surviving students, James Emmanuel and Shedrack Musa, narrated their ordeal and disclosed that their drowned colleagues got stuck in the water, holding onto some small trees for almost four hours before they finally gave up.
“How we survived, we cannot explain. It is only God that enabled us to survive that terrible scenario.
“We were the grown-up ones among the eight of us that got stuck. There was nothing those that came to rescue us could do because of the pressure of the water.
“The rope the rescue team threw at us so that we could hold it got hooked 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.
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