~ Journalist warns: ‘He who misses school today will live to attend school tomorrow’
By Tony Okafor, Awka
Fear of another flood tragedy kept many parents and guardians in Awka and environs from sending their children and wards to school on Tuesday, following a heavy downpour which began around 4am and persisted for hours.
The apprehension came exactly one week after a six-year-old pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, Success, was swept away by floodwaters while travelling to school in a bus.
Success was in the bus with about eight other occupants when the vehicle was caught in the floodwaters.
While the other occupants were rescued, Success was swept away. His body was recovered the following day.
Apparently still traumatised by the tragedy, some parents on Tuesday decided not to take chances as another heavy rain descended on Awka and neighbouring communities.
Some parents reportedly monitored the weather and the condition of roads around their homes and along the routes their children normally take to school before deciding whether to let them leave home.
The situation also prompted a warning from journalist and public affairs commentator, Mr Jude Atupulazi, who urged parents to put the safety of their children ahead of school attendance.
Atupulazi, recalling the tragedy of the previous Tuesday, said:
“Exactly this time last week this boy was trapped in flood with two of his siblings and others in a bus before finally being swept off. It’s another Tuesday and it’s been raining.”
He urged parents to exercise caution, saying they should check their environment and the routes their children use to school before allowing them to leave home.
“Parents, please check your environment and the route your kids take to school. If not safe, let them stay at home,” he warned.
Atupulazi added a poignant reminder to parents: “He who misses school today will live to attend school tomorrow!”
The warning appeared to resonate with many parents who preferred to keep their children indoors rather than risk exposing them to flooded roads and waterways.
One parent who spoke with our correspondent said the death of Success was still too fresh to ignore.
“After what happened last week, nobody should blame a parent for keeping a child at home when there is this kind of rain,” the parent said.
Another parent said: “The child can make up for missing one day of school, but you cannot replace a child who is lost to flooding.”
As of Tuesday morning, the heavy rainfall had continued to raise concerns in some parts of Awka and its environs, with residents keeping a close watch on roads and flood-prone areas.
For many parents, the message was clear: school attendance is important, but getting the child safely back home is more important.
