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•Govt, old students ignore foremost technical school
From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Rev. Father Godfrey Ozogene is an unhappy man and he has every cause to be downcast and depressed. As principal of Government Technical College (GTC), Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the priest has had to bear the brunt of managing a seemingly neglected foremost school in that part of the country.
During the rainy season, Fr. Ozogene’s mood changes as the weather. Once the sky gets cloudy, his spirit gets low obviously because of the imminent danger posed to the staff, students and the school.
GTC Abakaliki has suffered perennial flooding over the years, with the students displaced on many occasions. In such situations, books, teaching and learning materials as well as personal effects of the staff and students are affected.
Once there is heavy rain, the students’ hostels receive ‘enough’ floodwater. So, it is common to see students dry their clothes, books and other items under the sun.
As principal of the school for about a year and half, between 2019 and 2020, Fr. Ozogene has complained about these issues but, unfortunately, his cries and entreaties fell on deaf ears.Yet, fate brought him on a second missionary journey to the school.
He was barely five weeks old in the place when the last incident occurred on September 23, 2023. It submerged the principal’s residence, the administrative block and the school’s rice farm. The ugly development destroyed many documents, books and other school materials as well as crops in the farm.
The principal said they had experienced similar situations before now but they were not as severe as the latest incident. He attributed the perennial flood to improper channeling of floodwater in the area.
He thanked God that none of his students and staff sustained injuries in the course of avoiding the flood and called for government’s intervention for the safety of life and property.
The priest, who suggested the construction of a big drain system there to forestall a recurrence, disclosed that many of the documents and other items would be kept outside the structures pending when the offices would dry.
He frowned at the alleged neglect of the school by successive governments over the years, stressing that many of the structures were in a sorry state.
Fr. Ozogene lamented that, in spite of the fact that the school had produced many prominent persons in society, no one could boast of it due to its poor condition and the obsolete learning implements therein.
He said: “The roofs are gone, everything is gone, and I am posted here to function as what? The school is about 60 years old and still no one can be proud of it, including some persons who are occupying so many offices in the society.
“Since I came here, we usually experience substantial disturbance in every rainfall but not to this magnitude. We are not always free but as I said earlier this is the highest of it.
“The experts in the system know what to do but, notwithstanding, I will give my own little suggestion when they come because I believe that the school needs a big drain capable of containing all the water from other outlets.
“But before then, the source of the problem needs to be identified so that it won’t remain a perennial problem and, with the idea, government knows the best way to tackle the problem.”
He also disclosed that he had channelled the complaints to the Catholic community in the state, which is in partnership with the state government. He explained the urgent need to make the place conducive for learning because environment influences education.
He added: “When I was posted here between January, 2019 and August 2020, I complained about the dilapidated nature of the structures in the school. I also recommended that government should make it a pilot school by all standards but nothing has been done about it till now.
“This is a technical school that is supposed to be producing people for the betterment of society. And since I came to this school, I have not rested because of the dilapidating nature of the place. This is why I am saying that if we do not want to go ahead, we can leave it, since the place is already in shambles.”
He also appealed that the synergy between the church and government should be hastened and advised his students to be calm.
