The administration of Wisdom Gate International School in Eligbolo, close to Port Harcourt, where a two-year-old student passed away, has requested that the Rivers State Government reevaluate the suspension of its academic operations.
Additionally, in the midst of the tragic tragedy and grief, some stakeholders appealed to the government and the parents of the student, Wynnie Akakue, who died from injuries when a bookcase fell on her while she was sleeping in the classroom.
Remember how the parents of the dead, Dr. Iasuaka Akakue and Mrs. Chinyere Akakue, demanded justice for their daughter and cried foul after the tragic March 17 tragedy, accusing the school of a cover-up?
The Rivers State Government suspended Wisdom Gate International School, Campus 1, Elimgbo, in response to the public outrage.
In a statement, Dr. Peters Nwagor, the state commissioner for education, stated that until all matters pertaining to the incident are thoroughly addressed and resolved, the school will stay closed and prohibited from resuming operations.
However, some parents of students told reporters that the school’s ongoing shutdown was already having a bad impact on them and that it was also causing staff to lose their jobs.
Toyon Obikoya, the school’s owner, said that while they were shocked by the suspension of academic activities, they begged for forgiveness and understanding from the government and the parents of the deceased student who was under their care at the time.
“The kids at Wisdom Gate International School are our kids, she said. It is evident that our commissioner is a parent; in this organization, he is our grandfather. We are calling on him because of this. His decision to halt operations for the time being was the right one.
However, since the education of other children is equally at risk, we are pleading with him to show us mercy. As a law-abiding organization, we are unable to respond to the parents’ calls.
However, where should we take these kids? We had to close the school because this occurrence occurred during the time students were taking exams. We are pleading with people to step in and treat every youngster as their own”.
Obikoya reaffirmed that the school is still pained by the occurrence and is offering the student’s parents its deepest sympathies. He also mentioned that the administration has tried to get in touch with the family.
”We traveled to his homeland of Tai, Ogoni Kingdom, to talk with the bishop of the Anglican Diocese, who guided us to our beloved student’s grandparents after the family insisted that we communicate with them via their attorney. Before departing, we informed the family of the event and expressed our genuine sympathy.
The school’s administration then went to Etche to meet with the bishop. Instead of intimidating or acting haughtily, we did all of this to explore how we could connect with the family”.
Additionally, the owner stated that the case has been brought before the court, emphasizing that the school is a law-abiding organization and will not impede any investigation.
