In what is fast becoming an eyesore in Abuja, the nation’s seat of power, sub-standard schools built primarily for money-making now dot the landscape of most satellite towns in the FCT. With the education inspectorate doing little or nothing to address the menace, stakeholders fear that the practice may harm a system already struggling with the scourge of multi-layered neglect. DIRISU YAKUBU reports!
education is seen largely as both a service and a right. It is the responsibility of the government across all tiers to dispense education to the citizenry, whose right it is to embrace. Difficult as it is to enumerate its mileage in a single report, it suffices to suggest that the biggest weapon in the armoury of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists and Africa’s freedom fighters was the education they had, which enabled them to dare the colonial imperialists, forcing the latter to relinquish power reluctantly.
So big is the harvest of a good quality education that the Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the then Premier of the Western Region, made education compulsory and free for children, many of whose parents could not afford fees and other payments required to keep their wards within the four walls of an educational institution.
The near collapse of governance at all levels in subsequent years culminated in the fall of education standards, forcing well-to-do parents to withdraw their children and wards from public schools for enrollment in private institutions.
With improved earnings over the years, many parents took the private schools’ option, given their ability to pay more remuneration to teachers while exposing pupils and students to better-teaching models and other extra-curricular activities.
The patronage of private schools, needless to state here, has seen education morph from a service to business ventures. Across major cities in Nigeria, including Abuja, the seat of power, those who have no expertise in school administration have, with a combination of greed and crass opportunism, set up schools, targeting the children of low-income earners, to earn a living.
In most of the satellite towns in the FCT, schools lack basic infrastructure, and qualified manpower and recreational facilities are a common sight today. With government officials either playing the ostrich or abdicating their duties, enforcement of standards has thus been relegated to the background.
In a tour of some ‘schools’ in Abuja, The PUNCH uncovered a litany of rot, ranging from the engagement of semi-literate teachers to the absence of libraries, laboratories, sports facilities, to name just a few.
Findings revealed that the school proprietors, while charging relatively high fees, pay their teachers peanuts, citing the harsh economic realities of the times.
At Leaders Academy Drive, off Tiga Street, Kurudu, Abuja Municipal Area Council, is a three-bedroom apartment housing a family of four. It is a middle-class residential building, plastered but not painted. On this fateful Tuesday morning, a sharp voice emanating from a store in this building got the attention of this correspondent.
To his surprise, a young lady reading out Nigerian States and their capitals announced to a class of four children an impending examination to test their mastery of what she had taught them thus far.
Surprised that a school was being run in such a location, this reporter took a few steps in the direction of the young teacher, and this conversation ensued.
“Good morning, madam. How are you doing today? You run a school here?,” I asked her.
Good morning, sir. Yes, we are just starting,” she replied. “Our target is the young children who are old enough to be in school now, but due to one reason or another, are not. Things are tough for many families, and we are trying to make sure that we have in place a system that can be of assistance to these young children and their parents.”
Then I went further by asking to know if it was a conventional school she set out to run.
“Interesting! I will be right to say this is not a formal school but an arrangement to get these young minds engaged, preparatory to having them enrolled in a conventional school.”
She replied, “It is a conventional setting, sir. From here, their parents can take them straight to basic four or five and after a year or two, they will proceed to junior secondary school. I have ten pupils here of different ages. They did not start at the same time, and I don’t teach them the same thing.”
When I asked which curriculum they used in teaching the kids, she added, “I teach them the things I believe they should know. I teach them English, Mathematics, Civics Education, Christian Religious Studies and Basic Science. We are not using any curriculum for now.”
On the affordability of her arrangement, she replied, “We have an agreement with the parents. I am also a bit careful because there are basic requirements for setting up a school. The parents love what I do here, and they support me. I don’t want to speak in detail about fees or whatever you call it.”
She refused to state whether she was a trained teacher or not, when this correspondent asked to know. Instead, she stated her love for teaching endeared her to the project.
“I will go back to school. It is my love for teaching that inspired me to start this. I will go back to school soon. Like I said, these children are very young. I am just trying to teach them basic things they should know at this stage of their lives,” she added.The story of this unnamed “school” resonates across many communities in the Federal Capital Territory. Taking advantage of a system with a near-zero disposition to the enforcement of basic standards, individuals with little or no training in education set up ‘schools’ that can best be described as business centres.
Still in the Kurudu District, the story is slightly better at the Lifespring Academy, which runs nursery/primary and secondary schools.
At Lifespring, the school lacks a modest space required for the sporting needs of the students. As it were, students here make use of public fields at the Local Education Authority Primary School for their interhouse sports and other outdoor activities.
A man who simply identified himself as Mr Joshua told our correspondent that though Lifespring is an upgrade on other schools in the vicinity, it suffers from a lack of adequately trained manpower needed for imparting knowledge.
He said, “Everything is turning to business, and we should be worried. Here (Lifespring), one is surprised to see that they have an SSCE and NECO accreditation centre. That is their biggest bargaining chip. They will tell you that their accreditation status indicates the high rating they enjoy in the books of the Federal Capital Territory Administration authorities.
“We must not manage two things: education and health. If health and education facilities are substandard, let us not expect much to reap thereafter. What is happening is that business is winning, but services are neither here nor there.”
Lifespring Academy, Kurudu, Federal Capital Territory
A trip to the Ivy Academy, Kpeyegi, revealed a similar pattern of poor standards and lack of trained manpower. A pre-nursery, nursery, and primary school, Ivy Academy boasts a handful of skilled teachers and several school certificate holders.
At the Graceland International Academy, Orozo, a magnificent edifice, paints a phoney picture of efficiency on how things ought to be done.
The PUNCH’s findings, however, revealed a litany of shady deals, including the poor payment of teachers, some of whom have complained to no avail.
“While the management of the institution frequently announces an increment in the fees paid by the students, the same does not reflect in the remuneration of teachers who do the bulk of the work,” a young woman who declined to be named told our correspondent.
According to her, “These people see themselves as destiny helpers and in a way, they are right. They make you feel that you are indebted to them for life for allowing you to earn a living. So, you have no power to influence things and a staff member, you also have to be careful because colleagues who are into eye service can betray you,” she added, without providing further explanation.
Perhaps, the worst of these private schools is the Potter’s Legacy Ville Academy, Anka. Located along the Karu/Orozo/Karshi expressway, one can be carried away with the allure of its beautiful name.
Exposed to multiple dangers, including security threats and noise pollution, the unfenced school is certainly where everything happens except conducive learning. Without a gate, the school, as well as its pupils and teachers, are exposed to the threat of abduction, invasion, and all forms of criminal activities.
Needless to state here, the school is an employer of poorly-trained teachers, who are only too glad to be earning a living with the little knowledge they can dispense.
At the City Royal Junior and Secondary Schools, Nyanya, Abuja, the major challenge identified by our correspondent is the lack of a playing field for extra-curricular activities for both teachers and students.
“Without striking a balance between education and sports, “a Mathematics teacher, Mr Haruna Kebe, argued that the needed psychological equilibrium needed to excel may prove a huge challenge for students.
While noting that education has gone beyond the rendering of essential services, Kebe frowned at the influx of businessmen into the sector, who merely built schools for the sole purpose of financial gain.
He said, “People are setting up schools as business ventures. Many of them are not educationists, but they are in the business of running schools everywhere. In some cases, residential buildings are converted to schools. They are tapping into a gap in the system to make the argument that they are also creating jobs. These people don’t care about standards. This is a grave concern we must address as a nation,” he said.
Haruna
He further lamented the absence of a sports field for the physical development of children in the areas of football and track events, saying, “Most of them don’t have the environment for sporting activities, and this is one of the requirements for setting up a school.”
The Maths teacher, who has taught the subject in different schools, further revealed how the lack of standards makes it easier for school proprietors to enslave teachers, taking advantage of the scarcity of jobs in the country.
“Most of the teachers are overworked. In the last school I taught (name withheld), I was teaching Mathematics from JSS 1-3, taking SS1 students in Physics and handling Basic Science for JSS1-3 Basic Technology. You can see that they don’t care about the staff’s mental health. They are only interested in what comes into their pockets,” he added.
He also faulted religious bodies for setting up schools that they cannot manage.
“The churches are establishing schools because through these schools, they make money to run the churches. I have no issue with well-run schools owned by churches. But a situation where a church struggling to find its feet also sets up a school simultaneously leaves much to be desired,” he added.
Qualification
“How many teachers are qualified? There are very few. But I don’t think a Bachelor’s degree in Education is the main thing, because some of these so-called qualified teachers are not better than those who do not have degrees in education. I have a B.Sc in Mathematics and a National Diploma in Chemical Engineering, but I have a passion for teaching. I see it as my calling. I have been in teaching, off and on, since 2007, but I don’t think a B.Ed holder in Mathematics will look me in the eyes and tell me he is a better teacher than I am. I will not accept it,” he added.
“What they pay the teachers is nothing to write home about. The money is very small compared to their workload. Before now, school owners in Abuja were paying N15,000 for NCE holders, N20,000 for B.Sc. This was before inflationary pressure forced them to have a rethink. Some of the schools now pay holders of B.Sc N30,000 a month, especially those who are not in the sciences.
“In the last school I taught, the owner paid N30,000, and she deducted N2,000 each from those monthly salaries until it accumulated to N30,000. This amount was kept for each other, and anytime they wanted to leave, they were required to give a month’s notice. It’s this N30,000 that would be given to him or her in full anytime they choose to walk away. But if a teacher chooses to leave without a month’s notice, the N2,000 deductions would be forfeited.
“But as a Science teacher, I earned twice what my counterparts in the Arts were earning. The money is not encouraging. But the standard schools pay as much as N70,000 to N80,000 a month,” he explained.
Unskilled teachers
Accoroding to the Mathematics teacher, “Most of the school owners prefer school certificate holders as teachers because they are comfortable with the little token they pay them. The graduates demand higher salaries. In most of the schools, the school certificate and NCE holders are more in number compared to graduates because it costs less to retain their services.
“In the last place I taught, the proprietor retained me because she was bent on having an SSCE/NECO centre accredited for her. One of the requirements for having this centre approved for you is that your teachers must be well-educated. You must have at least five or six B. Ed or BSc holders before a NECO centre will be approved for a school. When the officials came to inspect the place, we were the qualified teachers who stood in defence of the school. The NCE and SSCE holders stayed away.”
A teacher in one of the privately-owned schools in Jikwoyi, identified simply as Chidi, called on the FCTA education inspectorate department to take its job seriously, noting that some of the schools operating in the nation’s capital today have no business existing in the first instance.
He said, “Ultimately, it is the future of the young ones we are jeopardising by sharp practices happening in these so-called schools. I know a man who turned the three-bedroom flat built for him by his son in Lagos into a private school. He goes around telling gullible parents that God instructed him to start a school.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike
“Being an evangelist, it is understandable that people are listening to him. What shocked me more was that with time, some parents withdrew their children from their schools and enrolled them at the there-bedroom apartment turned school.”
Asked how the evangelist cum educationist is paying the teachers, he was temporarily lost for words before continuing, “That is the interesting part of the story. He brainwashed some young people in his church into believing that the school is God’s project. When he collects fees from the pupils, he pays the teachers. At times, he pays when his son sends him money. This is how the place is run.”
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, school proprietor, Mustapha Haruna, urged those with genuine interest in running schools to abide by due process and avoid cutting corners.
Haruna, who runs the Discovery International Academy, Suleja, Niger State, described education as the finest gift a nation can bequeath to the younger generation, stressing that anyone desirous of owning a school to build the lives of young minds must be prepared to go the whole distance.
Lamenting the influx of Nigerians into the system who have no training in school administration, Mr Haruna warned that if left unchecked, such a system may end up doing more harm than good.
In an interview with our correspondent, The Imiegba, Edo-born school proprietor said, “One needs to be passionate about education. It is not about making money. If you are making money and not impacting the lives of the pupils and students, you have not started, and you have no reason to remain in the system.”
For a country desirous of joining the league of advanced nations, education is a sector too significant to be left in the hands of unskilled men whose interest lies not in quality service delivery but in profit-making. From basic to secondary school education, the government, including federal, sub-national, and local, must take decisive steps to address the looming danger threatening the progress of the Nigerian state.
You are an Iraqi based in London, United Kingdom, how did you learn to speak Yoruba?
I trade at Woolwich Market. That is where I work and where I started meeting many Nigerian customers, especially Yoruba people.
Many of the Nigerians I met at the market spoke Yoruba when they came to buy things from me. At first, I did not understand what they were saying, so I became curious and started asking them to interpret the words they used. That was how I gradually started learning Yoruba from my customers.
What do you sell?
I used to sell pepper and fruit, but now I sell cosmetics and hair. My business has changed over time, but I have continued interacting with many Yoruba customers at the market. Through those interactions, I have also continued learning the language.
How did you first become interested in the Yoruba language?
About 95 per cent of my customers are Yoruba. Whenever they came to buy things, they would speak Yoruba to me. Instead of just listening to them, I started asking questions whenever I heard words I did not understand. I would ask them what the words meant, and that was how I learnt little by little.
The more I listened to them, the more interested I became. I started enjoying the language because I think Yoruba is a sweet language. That was what encouraged me to keep learning it.
What do you like about the Yoruba language?
I like the way the language sounds. For me, it is an interesting language, and because I hear my customers speak it regularly, it became easier for me to pick it up. I also like the way Yoruba people communicate with me when they come to the market.
How did you get the name “Olakunle Oshodi”?
Oh, one of my customers gave me the name. She is a lovely person, and she is Yoruba. She said the name was good for me, and that was how I got the name “Olakunle Oshodi.”
No, I don’t have any family connection to Nigeria. I have never even been there. My connection with Yoruba came through my customers and the people I have met at the market.
How long have you been learning Yoruba?
It has been about three years. I can speak it because I really like the language, so it has not been that hard for me. I have been learning mainly through my customers and through everyday conversations at the market.
What made you decide to speak Yoruba with your customers?
Basically, I just wanted to learn. You know, Yoruba people joke with you and laugh with you. They want happiness, and they are not fake. That is why I love them.
When they come to the market, there is always a lot of interaction. They joke, laugh, and make you feel comfortable. So, for me, learning the language became a way of connecting with them better.
Yoruba people are lovely. Even when wahala comes sometimes, they are still just lovely. I enjoy the way they joke and laugh with you. They want happiness, and that is something I really like about them.
Being around them has also helped me learn more about the language because I speak Yoruba almost every day with my customers. The more I interact with them, the more I learn.
Has speaking Yoruba affected your business?
Yes, it has made the business grow. Speaking Yoruba has helped me connect with my customers better, and I believe that has been good for my business.
When customers realise that I can speak their language, it creates a different kind of relationship. We can joke together, laugh together, and communicate more easily.
How do customers react when they realise that you can speak Yoruba?
They are shocked, and they laugh. I see them happy, and I laugh with them. Sometimes, you can see that they did not expect a white man to speak Yoruba, so their reaction is usually one of surprise. Most of the time, they are not expecting it at all, especially when they first hear me respond to them in Yoruba.
I enjoy seeing their reaction because you can immediately see the happiness on their faces. Sometimes, they will look at me again as if they are trying to confirm whether I really understand what they are saying. It is always a funny and enjoyable moment for me.
Speaking Yoruba also makes the interaction more relaxed. Instead of just being a customer-and-trader relationship, we can joke together, laugh together, and have a better conversation. I enjoy that connection with them. I laugh with them because it makes the interaction more enjoyable, and I am happy when I see that they appreciate my effort to speak their language.
What goes through your mind when customers are surprised by your Yoruba?
I just enjoy the moment. They are shocked and laughing, and I see that they are happy. So, I laugh with them. For me, it is a nice experience because it shows that they appreciate the fact that I am trying to speak their language.
Has speaking Yoruba helped you gain your customers’ trust?
Yes, 100 per cent. I’m always with them. I spend a lot of time interacting with my customers at the market, so speaking Yoruba has helped me become closer to them. When I speak their language, they know that I am making an effort to understand them and communicate with them in a way that makes them comfortable.
I am not just there to sell something to them; I enjoy being around them and having conversations with them. That connection is important to me.
Have you ever had a funny experience while speaking Yoruba?
Yes, I have. They say, “Ah-ah!” when I speak. They are usually surprised when they hear me speaking Yoruba, and that reaction can be funny.
Sometimes, they cannot believe what they hear. They will react with “Ah-ah!” because they did not expect me to speak the language.
Even though sometimes wahala can come, it is still just lovely being around them. My experience with them has been positive, and they have also played an important role in helping me learn the language.
Do you think your customers have also enjoyed teaching you Yoruba?
Yes, because most of what I know came from interacting with them. When they speak Yoruba and I do not understand a word, I ask them what it means. That is how I learn.
It has been a gradual process. I listen, ask questions, and then try to use the words when I speak to them. I enjoy the learning process.
What are you looking forward to about visiting Nigeria?
As I said earlier, I have never been to Nigeria, but I have plans to go. I have not had the opportunity to visit yet, even though I have developed such a strong interest in the Yoruba language and culture.
I have a plan to go. I have never been there before, so I would like to experience the country and meet more people. I have learnt Yoruba mainly from people in London, so visiting Nigeria would allow me to experience the language and culture differently.
What does Yoruba culture mean to you?
I love the culture. I love Yoruba natives. My connection with Yoruba has grown through the people I meet and the language I have learnt from them. Even though I have never been to Nigeria, I have developed a love for the culture through my customers and the people around me.
What would you like Yoruba people to know about your connection with their language?
I want them to know that I love all of them, and I want to learn more of the language if I can. I speak well, but I only need time. One day, they will see. I want them to know that my interest in Yoruba is genuine. I did not learn it because somebody forced me to; I learnt it because I met Yoruba people, I enjoyed being around them, and I fell in love with the language.
The Joint Revenue Board has said Nigeria’s tax reform has reduced the burden on low-income earners and eliminated multiple nuisance taxes.
The Executive Secretary of the JRB, Olusegun Adesokan, stated this while giving an overview of the progress recorded one year into the implementation of the tax reform.
In a post obtained from the board’s X handle on Friday, Adesokan spoke at the 160th meeting of the JRB in Kaduna State, with the theme, “One Year of Reform: Assessing Progress and Addressing Challenges.”
He said the reform had also provided relief for low-income earners and micro-scale businesses, contrary to concerns that it had increased the tax burden.
“Addressing the misconception that the tax reform has increased taxes, the reform has rather reduced the tax burden on low-income earners, eliminated multiple nuisance taxes while providing reliefs for low-income earners and micro-scale businesses,” he said.
Adesokan said 18 state Houses of Assembly had domesticated the model harmonised taxes and levies law, which was designed to address overlapping and multiple taxation across the country.
According to him, the legislation had reduced more than 50 collection items previously administered by states and local government areas to nine sub-heads.
He added that the law had also abolished cash collection and the mounting of roadblocks for revenue collection.
The Executive Secretary said the measures had recorded significant progress in harmonising taxes and levies across the subnational governments.
The JRB, Nigeria’s apex body for revenue administration, convened the meeting to assess progress under the new revenue regime, identify gaps, and address emerging challenges.
The meeting was declared open by the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, who said the reform had expanded opportunities for domestic resource mobilisation and strengthened the country’s capacity to finance development.
Sani urged the JRB to identify bottlenecks affecting revenue collection, institutional weaknesses creating friction between revenue authorities and taxpayers, and opportunities for technology to improve efficiency in revenue administration.
He said, “The objective of the reform should not be simply to collect revenue; it should be to build a tax system in which compliance becomes easier, enforcement becomes more intelligent and voluntary compliance becomes a norm.”
The Executive Secretary appreciated Governor Uba Sani for hosting the 160th JRB meeting and for his consistent support of the tax reform initiative. He particularly commended the governor for nominating a member of the Board and outgoing Executive Chairman of Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Jerry Adams, as his running mate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.
Sani expressed his delight with the tax reform, stressing that apart from eliminating duplication of taxation, it has enhanced revenue generation.
He observed that the national tax revenue has so far risen to N21.6 trillion since President Bola Tinubu introduced tax reform in 2026.
According to him, the nation’s revenue was approximately ₦10.1 trillion in 2023, ₦21.6 trillion in 2024, and about ₦36.8 trillion in 2025.
In his opening remarks, JRB Chairman, Dr Zacch Adedeji, represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services, Nigeria Revenue Service, Muhammad Abubakar, said the meeting was a call for revenue authorities to take stock of the progress made, address identified gaps and confront emerging challenges.
He said the ultimate measure of the reform’s success must be improved revenue mobilisation, greater compliance, a better taxpayer experience, and stronger contributions to national development.
About 37 persons have reportedly died after inhaling fumes from a petroleum product at a jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Thursday at the Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area, where youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities had reportedly gathered to load a petroleum product from an illegal tapping point.
Many others were said to be missing following the incident, which occurred in the mainly coastal community.
A source in the community told our reporter that more than 100 persons had stormed the jetty with locally made boats while a vessel was anchored at the riverside to load petroleum products.
The source said trouble started while the youths were loading the product, as a strong smell suddenly saturated the air, causing several of them to collapse.
“Many of them collapsed into the river, while others who managed to escape the scene had serious respiratory disorders and were being treated at the hospital.
“As I speak to you, over 37 bodies were identified as Okrika people, while six others were yet to be identified and many are still missing,” the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre also confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta had reported that no fewer than 37 persons suspected of involvement in illegal oil activities died after inhaling what was locally referred to as “Indorama fuel.”
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said in a statement that the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday at the Okari Jetty.
“According to the report, no fewer than 37 persons suspected to be oil thieves died after inhaling what is locally called ‘Indorama Fuel.’
“Many others are still missing. The incident occurred during the illegal loading of the product into a ship at a tapping point,” he said.
Dumnamene said the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that transported petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that reportedly came every two weeks to load products for export.
He added that the youths inhaled the product while a vessel was loading and they were simultaneously loading it into their waiting boats from the illegal tapping point.
“This led to the death of not fewer than 37 persons. Many are still missing, and some corpses have been seen floating on the river but have not yet been recovered,” he stated.
Dumnamene called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to immediately conduct a joint investigation visit to the site of the incident.
He also urged the company that owned the vandalised facilities to provide adequate security for its pipelines to prevent a recurrence.
The YEAC-Nigeria boss condemned the alleged sabotage, warning youths to stay away from oil and gas infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure pipelines.
He also called for alternative livelihood opportunities for youths in the Niger Delta, including the establishment of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident and said the victims were reportedly attempting to steal crude oil.
Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said no official complaint had been lodged with the command but added that an investigation had commenced.
“The suspects reportedly died in the process of attempting to steal crude oil. However, no official complaint has been received in connection with the incident at this time.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts,” the police spokesperson stated.
However, the Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, gave a different account of the incident, saying the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products that had spilled into the river when they were allegedly overwhelmed by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.
Godswill described the incident as tragic, saying most of the victims were youths searching for means of livelihood amid a lack of employment opportunities.
“It is so pathetic that this incident is happening in our community. These are young guys who have gone to search for their daily bread, only for the fumes from the fuel that was pumped to kill so many of our youths under the bridge.
“Many of them were choked to death. These are not criminals or anything, but they went out in search of their daily meal. I am advising the community, the leaders and every other person that we need legitimate jobs in the community.
“These things are risky, but when you cannot feed your children, most times, those risky jobs become the only option,” Godswill stated.
He explained that the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products floating on the water when they were overcome by fumes from a vessel loading petroleum products at the jetty.
Godswill, however, said about 10 bodies had been recovered, adding that only some of the victims could be identified because of the condition of their remains.
He said, “We saw about 10 of them. Four were still unrecognisable, while four persons were identified. The rest could not be identified because their bodies were badly damaged and their faces were severely affected.”
The Civilian JTF commander called on the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other relevant authorities to create employment opportunities for youths in the area to discourage them from engaging in dangerous activities.
“I am calling on the relevant authorities, community leaders, the chairman and every other person to look into this. It is not enough to stop them because, yes, it is a risky job, but they should create jobs for the youths so that everybody will have something to eat.
“Something that can put food on the tables of these young men, the youths and every other person. I can tell you for free that it will not just stop because when that source is the only livelihood, people will still go there.
“Even as of yesterday, people still went there, despite the fact that we had confirmed that people had died from the same activity. So, we are calling on the leaders to look into it and see how they can create job opportunities, especially for the youths,” Godswill added.
