With financial benefits from the beginning of the 2023/24 school session, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, has directed the headmistress of Ewet Community Primary School to engage Teachers who have been volunteers on an adhoc basis.
The governor gave the directive when he undertook an on- the-spot inspection of works at the school compound located on Uruan Street, Uyo LGA, south south Nigeria.
Evidence seemed to prompt the governor’s action when he said. “What I have heard today is unprecedented that you find people volunteer in their community to teach children since September.”
“They come on a daily basis and this is December and not one dime has been paid to them.”
He said they just volunteered to teach because they did not want to sit idly at home. “This means they gave up their time, made sacrifices and fortunately for them, I visited today.”
As he began therefore to admonish Akwa Ibom people to emulate such gestures as it aligns with the objectives of his ARISE Agenda, he said. “I have just directed that they should be engaged on an adhoc basis immediately, pending when we begin employment.”
“This is the Akwa Ibom spirit and I want to encourage more of that,” he said. As he felt himself getting very happy adding that “this is the ARISE spirit, and today, the headmistress has attested to the fact that they used to come here everyday, paying their own transport.”
After he walked round the school currently undergoing remodelling, Eno said. “The new school compound was a request by the community as compensation from the government for their land.”
He said Governmment having seeing the community leaders being selfless in their demand and placing the interest of their children and community above personal gains, the school project was initiated as a compensatory project.
In his words, “This school project was initiated as a compensatory project. The community wanted it in place of their land. I was then a Commissioner, the then Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, was very happy that the community didn’t want something for themselves. So If they had collected money, this wouldn’t have been here.”
“You can see the improvement we have done. The children we brought from Christ the King are also here. I just came to ensure that we bring this facility up to the standard of a model school,” he continued.
“The only thing missing here is the accomodation for teachers. If we had space, I would have put it, but in this case, we don’t have space,” Governor Eno added.
On security, the Governor directed that besides the perimeter fencing around the school, the Commissioner for Internal Security should recruit a team under the Neighborhood Watch programme to mount surveillance in and around the school facility to secure the area in conjunction with the police.
