…Urge Him to Declare State of Emergency
Following the recent celebration of six consecutive years in office by the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Imolites across the political divide have expressed deep disappointment over what they described as his abysmal scorecard in the education sector, which they say has remained at a very low ebb despite enormous budgetary allocations.
According to callers on a recent phone-in programme anchored by renowned human rights activist, Mazi Chinonso Uba, on Ozisa 96.1 FM radio station, the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, is grossly understaffed, while staff morale remains very low due to delayed or non-payment of statutory emoluments and the absence of necessary amenities for quality teaching and learning.
“Most of the primary and secondary schools in the state, especially in rural areas, are utterly dilapidated. The much-talked-about emphasis on technological advancement appears to be a hoax, as most secondary schools lack functional laboratories, not to mention well-equipped ones where students with an interest and flair for science-related subjects can acquire practical knowledge,” one caller said.
Our roving correspondent, who visited several schools in Ngor Okpala, Ikeduru, Owerri North, Owerri West, and Orsu Local Government Areas, among others, painted a horrific picture of neglect and abandonment. Pupils and students in the affected schools are exposed to various life-threatening hazards, as many classrooms are roofless and lack doors and windows.
Community sources, who expressed concern and disappointment over the unfortunate development, said: “This has been the situation for a very long time. Our children have become used to studying under trees and in flooded classrooms, where they are exposed to infections caused by different kinds of bacteria and fungi.
We have contacted the Local Government Education Secretaries, who said they had drawn the attention of those in charge at the state level to the menace, yet nothing has been done. Our concern is that the rainy season will soon set in, and our children and wards will still be subjected to the same gruesome ordeal they have suffered for years.”
Other community leaders and stakeholders questioned why officials at the helm of affairs in the Ministry of Education appear to be chasing shadows and engaging in unnecessary frivolities instead of ensuring that the education sector—which is the bedrock of societal growth, development, and emancipation from ignorance, superstition, and backwardness—receives the attention it deserves.
“From what we have read in print and social media, and also heard on radio, the governor spends more time gallivanting in Abuja, while the Commissioner for Education has been dissipating his energy in skirmishes with those he is supposed to work with to achieve results for the good of Imo people.
“On the other hand, the Imo State House of Assembly Committee on Education, led by Hon. Obinna Egu, has also failed woefully in its supervisory and oversight responsibilities, thereby compounding the plight of the state’s education sector,” they added.
