Parents of five pupils who drowned in River Kaduna in 2017 have appealed to the Kaduna State Government to redeem its promise to compensate them over the tragedy.
Mr. Abiodun Arogundade, who spoke on behalf of the parents on Thursday in Kaduna during a press briefing, recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had also advised the state government to pay the compensation.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the five children who drowned in River Kaduna on August 11, 2017, were pupils of Victory Schools, Ungwan Yelwa in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
According to Arogundade, President Buhari had, immediately after the incident, advised the state government to investigate the matter and pay compensation.
“We appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for his pronouncements a week after the incident in August 2017.
“Mr. President ordered investigation into the incident and urged compensation to be paid to the affected families.
“But the instructions of Mr. President are yet to be carried out or some group might have sat on the compensation,” he said.
According to him, Governor Nasiru el-Rufai had also adopted the report of the investigation committee and given approval for compensation to be paid to affected parents.
He said that in spite of that, there has been no move by the government to compensate them.
“We want President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly look into this issue and grant scholarship to one child each from the affected families,” he added.
The children who died in the incident were Priscilla Romanus, 15; Monday Umayi, 17; Joseph Benedict, 15; Goodness Arogundade 15, and David Nzebechukwu, also aged 15.
The Commissioner of Education, Ja’afaru Sani, in his reaction, said officials of his ministry and those of Finance had met with the parents on the issue of compensation as directed by the government.
He said that the delay in the payment was due to paucity of funds that the government was experiencing.
The commissioner, however, gave the assurance that government would pay the compensation as soon as resources are available.
(NAN)