Monday 17 September 2012

FLOOD WASHES AWAY 89 SCHOOLS IN ADAMAWA STATE


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 Flood menace
MATTHEW ONAH
The Adamawa state government has appealed to the federal  government and other  multi-lateral  organisations to urgently come to the assistance of the people of the state, as the magnitude of the flooding disaster is far beyond the scope of the state government.
The appeal came as the flood threatens to cut off the state from  other part of the country, as two culverts on the Yola---Gombe road situated at Ngbalang , near the Numan bridge-head, were partially washed away on Friday.
Speaking to pressmen  at the weekend, the Secretary to state Government,  Adamawa state , and chairman of the state emergency committee on the flood disaster, Chief Kobis  Ari—Thimnu, said the flood situation was compounded by the opening of the sluice gate at the Dadin- kowa  and  Kiri dams in Gombe and Adamawa states.
He stated that with the combined effect of the Rivers Benue and Gongola, over flooding its banks, with excess  water from the Lagdo dam  in the republic of Cameroon, and the two  neighborhood dams,  in the country , Adamawa state is literally  drowning .
He said that the state  is being confronted with a disaster of enormous proportion.
Meanwhile   the state Government has announced an indefinite closure of its public schools throughout the state, as a result of the flood ravaging the state.

The state commissioner of Education, Mr .  Gabriel Hamman-Adama, said the indefinite closure became necessary as a total of 89 primary and secondary schools have so far been submerged across Adamawa in the on-going flood disaster ravaging the state.

He said  over 48 other schools had been taken over as camps by communities displaced by the flood disaster.

"About 89 primary and secondary schools are seriously submerged in the flood to the extend that you cannot get to these schools as at now",  Hamman-Adama said.

The commissioner explained that the development had forced the ministry to now shift the coming  resumption date for government schools in the state,  indefinitely  .

"We have held a meeting with stakeholders and resolved that the initial resumption date of coming Monday 17th be shifted  indefinitely until the situation improves. ‘’, Hamman-Adama said.

The commissioner explained that if the flood water did not recede in October, the ministry would be forced to merge students from the submerged schools and those converted to camps with those in schools that were not affected.

Culled from This Day

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