Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria

(HURIWA), has asked the Federal Government and the National Assembly to take concrete steps to intervene before the newly commissioned Tertiary Technical Trust (TETFUND)’s structure at the Imo state University collapses.

The rights group also raised alarm over the general state of sanitation of the entire vicinity of the University in Owerri, Imo state and called on Governor Hope Uzodinma, the Visitor to the state-owned university, to compel the school management to clean up the school to stave off imminent health emergency on the campus.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of Media Affairs, Miss Zainab Yusuf, asked Imo citizens to hold Governor Uzodinma, Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, including the state born Minister of State for Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba, and the respective education committees of the National Assembly to activate urgent technical and policy actions to salvage what is left of the dilapidated Faculty of Humanities (TETFUND 2017 Special High Impact Project) structure from imminent collapse which might harm or kill hundreds of students within the seriously unkempt school environment.

“Our members in Imo state have just visited the Imo State University in Owerri and from what we saw, the TETFUND Intervention Project and that of ETF are nothing but time bombs waiting to explode due to poor quality of works and the materials used in building these structures because, obviously when compared to the ETF dilapidated building, the old ETF structure was built with quality materials unlike the new TETFUND building.

“We are appealing to all the relevant authorities to intervene immediately and stop a disaster from happening. We have photographic evidence of the bad state of these buildings aforementioned.”

HURIWA recalled that around December 2, 2019, TETFUND team visited Imo State University Owerri and commissioned their funded projects which include the Senate building, Faculty of Humanities and Female Hostel on November 30, 2019.

HURIWA recalled that the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Prof Suleman Elias Bogoro, while commissioning the Senate building declared Imo State University Owerri as one of the best state universities in Nigeria.

Prof Bogoro lauded the Vice Chancellor of IMSU, Prof Adaobi Victoria Obasi, for building a standard edifice unlike the sub-standard structures some Vice Chancellors build after receiving funds from TETFUND.

“I released the funds for these projects and I am happy to be here today, to commission them. The Vice Chancellor has built a very standard building and we promise to do more for the institution.”

HURIWA however said it is a scandal of monumental proportions that less than a year after these structures were commissioned with pomp and ceremony, there are evidence that the materials deployed to build the structures are seriously substandard demanding urgent action to stop them from imminent collapse.