Students of the St.
John’s Campus of the Ignatus Ajuru University of Education, have called on the state government to protect them from molestation from their host community, Rumuo Kalagbor in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The call came at the heels of the visit of the state Commissioner for Education, Professor Kinaye Ebeku as part of his familiarization tour of tertiary institutions in the state.
Some of the students who spoke to The Tide on condition of anonymity stated that members of the community restrict students from using some of the facilities in the school, such as the school field.
“Anytime we, as students, or even the school authority wants to make use of the school  field, we must first obtain permission from the villagers, or they will stop the activity.
“The Worst thing is that, as students we cannot even go to our class rooms to read at night because if we try it, they will not only molest us, they also rob us of our money and other valuables, one of the students lamented.
Another student also stated that even in their hostels, they avoid  reading at night because the light attracts the villagers.
The students lamented what they called “concentration of  development in the main campus,” saying that “it is as if we are not part of IAUE.”
They therefore called on the school authority and the state government to come to their aid.
When The Tide visited the campus in the company of the commissioner, not only were the hostels in an inhabitable state, with no windows and doors, the school environment looks more like a village community than a school community.
It will be recalled that during the visit, the commissioner had noted the poor state of facilities in the campus and assured that appropriate report will be made to His Excellency, the Governor of the state.
He also charged the leadership of IAUE to extend some of the developments in the Main Campus, Rumolumeni to the Ndele and St John’s Campuses.

Sogbeba Dokubo