The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has donated 100 pieces of five seater wooden desks to the Community Secondary School, Rumuekini in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The handing over was followed by a brief ceremony. The Rivers State representative on the Board of the NDDC, Chief Tony Okocha, said the gesture was in line with the mandate of the commission in improving the lives of the people.
Daily Independent learnt that students of the benefiting school before NDDC intervention, took their classes sitting on bare floor or makeshift chairs.
Okocha said, he was moved to intervene after he saw students of the school learning while sitting on the floor when he visited the school for on the spot assessment.
Donated desks at Community Secondary School, Rumuekini in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said after his visit, he drew the attention of the NDDC headed by Mr. Chiedu Ebie as the Chairman and Dr Samuel Ogbuku as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, adding that prompt action was taken afterwards to salvage the situation.
He said, “I visited the school one morning without anyone’s knowledge and saw students sitting in an uncomfortable environment and I was imagining how they could comprehend what the teacher was teaching under such conditions.
“I also discovered that if it rains, the students will be in trouble because there are no windows in the school building. I swiftly drew the attention of the NDDC Board to the plight of those students and hence these desks.”
He further stated, “Each of the desks can comfortably accommodate 5 to 7 students, which means that at the minimum, we have taken about 500 to 700 students off the ground.”
Chief Okocha also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government and keep to continue supporting President Bola Tinubu, assuring that the NDDC will look into other infrastructural needs of the school.
Chairman of the Rumuekini Community Development Committee, CDC, Gentle Akani, who spoke on behalf of the community, thanked the NDDC, especially Chief Tony Okocha for the intervention.
Akani, also begged the NDDC to continue to do more for the school and his entire community.
Some students who expressed their happiness over the donations, thanked Chief Tony Okocha and the leadership of the Commission for alleviating their sufferings.
“We thank the NDDC for coming to our aide. Before now, we didn’t have desk to sit, so used to sit on the floor to learn and write. The teachers are complaining because our learning board is so bad. So, we feel so excited with the provision of these desks today by the NDDC.
