The Bauchi State Government said it has commenced rehabilitation work on hostels at Government Girls Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa that were destroyed by a rainstorm about three months ago, and has reached 80% completion.
The Commissioner for Education, Hon. Abdulkadir Mohammed, stated this on Wednesday during an inspection visit to the school. Addressing journalists after going round the facility, the commissioner said the damage was caused by a natural windstorm and not by government neglect, contrary to impressions created by a viral video that circulated online at the time.
"It would be recalled some two, three months ago, there was a viral video going around showing the then situation in Government Girls' Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa," he said. "It was not the making of the ministry. It was a natural phenomenon that took place associated with the windstorm."
Hon. Mohammed explained that even before the rainstorm, the government had already approved the reconstruction of the school’s perimeter fence.
He added that following the storm, which also affected about four to five other schools in the state, Governor Bala Mohammed directed the ministry to assess and commence repairs.
"His Excellency immediately called us to know what actually happened. We explained to him that it wasn't our fault, nor the fault of the school. It was as a result of a windstorm," the commissioner said.
"Immediately he approved the contract for the renovation and reconstruction. It's not up to two months, but you can see the job is almost complete. Almost 80% completed."
He noted that engineers from the ministry carried out an assessment shortly after the incident and submitted their report, which informed the governor’s approval.
The commissioner was accompanied on the inspection by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, the Director of Physical Planning, the Director of School Services, and other officials.
He said the new construction adopts stronger designs to withstand future storms.
"They have brought innovation now. They have put beams and pillars from every angle that can stand the power of the storm," he said. And digital engineering is playing here."
Hon. Mohammed appealed to citizens to verify information shared on social media before drawing conclusions.
"The issue of this social media thing always portrays things sometimes in a very negative perspective," he said. "We are appealing to our brothers and sisters, when you see things on social media, verify. Find out what is the actual fact. This is because we are up and doing in our government institutions and schools."
"If there were to be another government, maybe in another state, it would take another two to three years before coming here to fix the school. But immediately the issue came up, we swung into action."
On the other affected schools, the commissioner confirmed that reconstruction work is also in process. "All of them are going to be renovated and reconstructed. We are on it," he said.
While reiterating the government's commitment to maintaining public schools across the state, the commissioner urged the school management to engage in an intensive awareness campaign for school enrollment by carrying along religious leaders, traditional rulers, and all other stakeholders to keep the school functional and justify the huge government investment in education.
"What we expect from the general public is to please have faith in us. We know our responsibility as representatives of the government. The whole idea is, what are those things that we can do after we are gone that we can be remembered for? That is what we have been doing and we will continue to do it, God willing.”
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