VIDEO: Rivers students cross dangerous floodwater on makeshift planks to reach classroom

Students of Community Secondary School, Rumuapara, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, are learning in a flood-ravaged environment, with dilapidated buildings and makeshift plank bridges connecting parts of the school, according to videos shared on Facebook.

The video, posted on Monday by a Facebook user identified as Naza Media, shows students navigating narrow wooden bridges without railings or other safety barriers, exposing them to the risk of falling into the murky water.

Several school buildings have visible cracks, while some classrooms have broken or missing doors and windows.

In one classroom, floodwater covers parts of the floor. The school toilet and surrounding areas are also submerged, with greenish water and discarded water sachets floating on the surface.

“Look at where children are learning. Water, everywhere is messed up. We can’t keep on begging you,” the narrator said, addressing the Rivers State Government.

“Today is 14 September, and their classroom board shows what they’ve learned today. They’ve written the date. What does all this mean?”

He described the school as one of the worst he had seen in Rivers.

“Look at cracked buildings. Parents would think their children went to school to learn, not knowing it is a trap house,” he said.

‘Students’ lives are at risk’

The video also showed construction chippings reportedly brought to the school for use in filling parts of the premises affected by flooding.

“People who are coming to learn, their lives are at risk,” the narrator said. “Everywhere is totally blocked. Imagine the kind of insects that will be breeding in this water.”

The identity of the person who recorded the video could also not be independently established. His Facebook profile identifies him as Naza Media.

The post attracted more than 2,600 comments and 220 shares as of the time of filing this report.

Students speak

The narrator returned to the school on Tuesday during school hours and interacted with students dressed in purple and white uniforms.

When asked whether they were happy with the condition of their school, the students responded, “No,” in unison.

The narrator claimed the students told him snakes had been killed in the school on several occasions and that some classes had been combined due to inadequate space.

The video showed students playing on a veranda while floodwater covered much of the school premises. Some sections of the water appeared greenish, apparently due to algae growth.

Chairman speaks

Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman, Gift Worlu, told PREMIUM TIMES that he was aware of the situation and had personally inspected the school.

“I am aware of the school’s condition. I went for an on-site inspection myself, and I have since escalated the matter to the State Secondary Board,” Mr Worlu said.

He said the scale of the flooding was beyond what the council could handle and required direct state government intervention.

According to him, the school is located on low land where water from surrounding areas naturally accumulates.

“The topography of that place is such that it happens to be the lowest land around that area, so all the water coming from other areas finds its way to that place,” he said.

Mr Worlu said filling the school grounds could merely transfer the flooding problem elsewhere.

He said a geological survey was being considered to determine how best to drain the water, while the State Secondary Board was handling issues relating to the school’s infrastructure.

“The flood challenge there is very enormous,” he said, adding that authorities were considering constructing a canal to take water from the area towards Rumuokoro.

He blamed the wider drainage problem partly on the blockage of natural waterways by developments.

Mr Worlu said the flooding had persisted for several years.

Asked why a railing could not be installed immediately on the makeshift bridges to reduce the risk of students falling into the floodwater, he said such an intervention would only provide temporary relief.

“There is no quick fix to the challenge. We just have to manage for now until the dry season. Putting a rail would only provide temporary relief but would not solve the problem,” he said.

The chairman also said he had not spoken directly with the state commissioner for education about the school but had reported the matter to the Rivers State Secondary Education Board, which, according to him, handles such issues and reports to the commissioner.

Call for Fubara’s intervention

In a separate Facebook post, the narrator appealed to the Rivers State Government, Ministry of Education and other authorities to intervene.

“This is a school. A government secondary school where children are expected to learn, grow and prepare for their future,” he wrote.

“These are not just walls and classrooms. These are the future leaders of Rivers State.”

He also appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Mr Worlu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who hails from the area, to address the situation.

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Mr Fubara recently signed the state’s N1.85 trillion 2026 budget into law, with more than N1.4 trillion allocated to capital expenditure.

The budget, tagged “Budget of Resilience for Growth and Development”, is Mr Fubara’s first appropriation bill signed into law since he became governor in 2023.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately establish whether the 2026 budget contains a specific allocation for the rehabilitation or flood control works at Community Secondary School, Rumuapara.

When contacted, Governor Fubara’s spokesperson, Onwuka Nzeshi, after seeing the questions sent to him, referred PREMIUM TIMES to the commissioner for education.

The Commissioner for Education, Peters Nwagor, did not respond to calls and a text message from our reporter.