A heavy rainfall, which resulted to flooding has paralysed academic and non-academic activities at the Metallurgical Training Institute (MIT) in Anambra State.
The incident occured on late Wednesday night at the school sited in Obosi, idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
To register their grievances, the students staged a peaceful protest, which started from the school gate on Thursday morning.
Addressing journalists, the President of Student Union Government, MIT, Chigozie Onyenyili lamented that the students were awake throughout the night due to the incident.
He noted that the flood covered their rooms and washed away properties ranging from laptops, beds, mattresses, learning materials and pots of soup.
Onyenyili lamented that perennial flooding in the Federal Government‐owned institution worsened when contractors hired by the Anambra state government removed the existing drainage channels inside the school, and failed to provide an alternative to mitigate flooding.
“They commenced flood control during the rainy season, but now, they have abandoned the work and as we speak, the entire institution is flooded. Students’ properties have been destroyed.
“We are embarking on this peaceful demonstration to draw the attention of the government towards our plight. The management of the institution has done its best, but we need the government to step in and continue the job which they have abandoned.
“The two machines the government brought for the job are not working and there is a need for them to bring in more personnel to complete the work on time so that normal activities will resume at the institution,” he added.
But the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the school, Mr Owo Ugochukwu hinted that the flood was as a result of the ongoing construction works on Nkpor-Nnobi road by the state government.
He stated that the government channelled water flowing from Obosi, Nkpor and Onitsha-Owerri road and environs, down to the school, without providing adequate measures for enough drainage.
“The flood issue has lingered for some years now, but the school authorities are doing their best to control it.
“Before now, we had a small drainage system which was carrying little water and we made a case to the state government and other relevant agencies.
“The state government came and excavated the existing drainage in the name of expansion, but the work has been abandoned and there is no alternative measures put in place.
“As we speak now, the flood covered the buildings in the school and the buildings are sinking, ” he said.
The PRO confirmed that the students’ hostels, school, mosque, church and lecture halls are under waters including their beds, mattresses, learning equipment and pots of soups.
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