The Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, has condemned the continued neglect of public primary and secondary schools in the state, saying the decay under the government’s watch is unacceptable and embarrassing.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Mr Amaewhule said it was “a sad commentary” that public schools in the oil-rich state have deteriorated to the point where vandals have taken over school premises, pupils learn without teachers, and one teacher is forced to teach two classes simultaneously.
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The remark is contained in a video posted on Facebook on Monday. It is unclear when the speaker made the remark.
“It’s a fact, the reason is because of abandonment by people who are supposed to be doing the needful. As of yesterday, the House committee chairperson on education found out that one teacher is teaching two classes: Primary 1 and 2,” he said.
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According to him, many public schools have no toilets, no electricity and no security despite being located close to government and corporate institutions.
“No toilet, no electricity yet that school is sharing a fence with Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company headquarters,” he said. “No security yet that same school is directly opposite the police headquarters.”
Mr Amaewhule lamented that the government had failed to respond to earlier calls for intervention.
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“The worst of it is that upon what we said when this motion came up nothing has happened. The Rivers State Executive Council has not done anything. They’ve done nothing to remedy the situation – it is a sad commentary.”
He said the situation not only demeans the state but threatens the future of children who depend on public schools.
“Something has to be done for our schools, for our children, for the future of this state. Our primary and secondary schools cannot remain like this. They cannot remain without teachers.”
Funds available for protests but not for teachers
The Speaker accused the state government of misplaced priorities, alleging that while money is quickly mobilised to sponsor political demonstrations and street protests, the same urgency does not apply when it comes to employing teachers and rehabilitating schools.
“When the last administration was leaving, the plan for the employment of 10,000 workers across the state took place, interviewed. What has happened?” he asked.
“People are not employed but when it is time to protest, funds will come for people to protest. When it is time to employ teachers, there will be no money. We cannot continue to keep quiet. We cannot continue to fold our arms while our children continue to suffer. While teachers continue to cry.”
Mr Amaewhule questioned how a state as wealthy as Rivers could justify neglecting basic education.
“How would anyone believe that in 2025, in Rivers State, one teacher is teaching two classes. How would anyone believe that in a school that is very close to Government House that in a year 2025, pedestrians will be called to come and teach pupils because there’s no teachers — this is an abomination, an aberration and it is not acceptable.”
N600 billion left behind by Ibas — What Happened?
The speaker said the state has sufficient financial capacity to overhaul the public school system, insisting that lack of funds cannot be an excuse.
“Is it that we don’t have funds in the state? Of course we have. As at the time the Sole Administrator, Ibok-Ette Ibas was leaving, he left over N600 billion in the account of Rivers state.”
Mr Amaewhule said the Assembly would no longer tolerate what he described as indolence and abandonment of responsibility.
“Something has to be done. We will not allow this indolence to continue. We are the only people mandated by law to fight for our people, fight for our parents. Parents are crying. The complaints we’re getting, the pictures sent to us come from parents from Township School 11.”
Citing more examples of neglect, he said some schools in Etche were operating under roofs overgrown with weeds.
“The other day, somebody went to Etche and saw children with even weed on their roof. How the weeds got to the roof and they’re learning under, I can’t imagine. It’s appalling.”
Fubara responds
Hours after the speaker’s remarks went viral, Governor Siminalayi Fubara addressed the concerns—though indirectly—during the 123rd and 124th combined quarterly meeting of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Mr Fubara said his administration remained committed to education despite “glaring challenges.”
He told the traditional rulers that education infrastructure would be prioritised in the 2026 budget, stressing that peace and stability in the state were enabling economic growth.
Governor Fubara reassured stakeholders that his government was not distracted.
“Our vision is to ensure that Rivers State is safe, our vision includes the provision of good health care services, which we are doing, the records are there,” he said, pointing to ongoing construction and completion works in hospitals across senatorial districts.
On claims about delayed employment of 10,000 workers, the governor dismissed the reports as false.
The governor urged the public to jettison the “false information”, noting that employment will be carried out in the state based on needs and not based on political considerations.
Governor Fubara said that the recruitment of teachers and school rehabilitation would be captured in the next budget.
He urged traditional rulers to support the process of stabilising governance and strengthening public trust, adding: “I say thank you again for your support, for understanding that your role is fatherly and one of the reasons you were selected was to bridge the gap in terms of crisis. Thank you for ensuring that peace reigns in Rivers state.”
Political tension and unsettled accountability
The exchange between the speaker and the governor underscores the tension between the executive and the legislature in Rivers, months after their suspension and subsequent reinstatement during a political crisis that attracted the declaration of emergency rule by President Bola Tinubu.
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The emergency rule was lifted after Mr Fubara and former governor Nyesom Wike reportedly reached a truce mediated by Mr Tinubu.
Since he was reinstated in September, Mr Fubara is yet to constitute the Rivers State Executive Council besides the appointment of the secretary to the state government.
The speaker’s comments — and his political alignment with former governor and now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike — suggest the truce between Mr Fubara and Mr Wike may be weakening.
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