Windstorm has destroyed 100 buildings in Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government of Anambra State.
The structures, including residential houses and schools, mostly located at one of the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs’) camps at Father Joseph Memorial High School, Aguleri.
SignatureTV gathered that the storm also caused great wreckage at Justice Chinwuba Memorial Secondary School, Aguleri, thereby leading to having pupils of the school study under trees.
A pupil, by the name Chidera Udo, said they had just returned from the Easter holiday to begin academic activities before the incident hit them.
“We were in the hostel at night when a heavy wind started off, the roof of the hostel pulled off, pushing out our doors also. We had to run,” she added.
The headteachers of the schools described the incident as an eyesore.
They are asking the government to intervene.
The Head Teacher of Father Joseph Memorial High School, Rev. Fr. Anthony Okoye, said the storm has left more than 2,000 pupils homeless.
He said: “I’ve never seen such a devastating incident. Almost all the buildings in the school were affected, including the refectory, teachers’ quarters, classroom blocks and hostels.
“The pupils will commence examination in a short while, and there are no classrooms for them. We are calling on the government, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), churches and others to assist us.”
The Head Teacher of Justice Chinwuba Memorial Secondary School, Aguleri, Mr. Emmanuel Anerobi, said: “I told the contractor when he was roofing this structure that he used substandard materials, but he did not listen.
“Now look at our classroom block, the windstorm has carried it away. We are in a sad situation.”
An alumnus of the school, Mr. Mike Meze, thanked God that no lives were lost. He, however, regretted that the windstorm destroyed the new structures recently built for the school by the Old Boys Association.
He called for urgent government assistance to enable the pupils, especially those in junior and senior secondary examination classes, to resume studies in earnest.
“We are in a state of confusion”. We had planned that before the end of this year, we would have built a bigger structure that would also have a sickbay. In fact, the government must act fast to assist the school,” Meze cries out.