By Suleiman Abubakar
The Commissioner of Education for Nasarawa State, Dr. John Mamman, has confirmed that more than fifty schools sustained severe damage due to a recent windstorm across the state.
Dr. Mamman made this announcement during an interview with journalists in Lafia, the capital city of Nasarawa State.
He disclosed that initial assessments have revealed significant damage to multiple schools affected by the windstorm. The Ministry of Education has engaged experts from the Ministry of Works to conduct a thorough inventory of the damages.
This initiative aims to facilitate prompt government intervention to address the situation.
Dr. Mamman attributed the cause of the windstorm to deforestation practices, emphasizing the need to return to the era of the late, Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, by planting trees to protect the environment and prevent such occurrences in the future.
He further stated, "Wind destruction was reported in Agbashi, Keana, Agwashi, Nasarawa, and Wamba. An examination hall in Kokona was also destroyed, indicating widespread windstorm damage across the state. Just yesterday, individuals came forward to register their complaints about the destruction in their schools.
Upon visiting some of these schools, the situation was deeply sympathetic, and unfortunately, nothing can be done as it is a natural phenomenon."
Dr. Mamman added that some schools were completely submerged, requiring them to be rebuilt.
He assured that the government would do everything possible to expedite the rebuilding of all affected schools in the state.
He appealed to citizens to support the government's tree planting initiative to mitigate the impact of windstorms in the future.
Dr. Mamman also took the opportunity to reaffirm his support for Governor Abdullahi Sule's education policies and programs, expressing confidence in their potential to drive the state's educational success.
