Education
Rivers education crisis sparks fury as Wike's legacy under fire over 'Billions Wasted' in schools
Written By: Udo Inobeme
01 Dec 2025 11:42 AM
Port Harcourt, Rivers — A blistering social media post from civic tech platform MonITNG has ignited a fierce debate over the crumbling state of public education in Rivers State, directly challenging Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike's eight-year tenure as governor.
The post accuses Wike of squandering billions in education budgets without delivering lasting infrastructure, leaving schools in "shameful and deplorable conditions" under the current administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The controversy erupted just days after Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker Martins Chike Amaewhule, a known Wike ally, publicly lambasted Fubara's government for failing to deploy over N600 billion in inherited funds to revive the sector.
In a viral video address, Amaewhule highlighted dilapidated classrooms, leaking roofs, and overcrowded facilities, questioning why the funds allegedly left by former state administrator Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas had not been used to address the decay.
"This is unacceptable," Amaewhule declared, urging immediate action to prevent further collapse of the education system.
MonITNG's response, posted on X (formerly Twitter) and tagged to Wike (@GovWike), flips the narrative, portraying Amaewhule's critique as hypocritical blame-shifting.
"If barely two years after you left office the entire education system in Rivers State has collapsed into this shocking level of decay, it raises a serious question: what exactly did Wike achieve in eight years?" the post reads.
It demands transparency on the "billions of naira reportedly spent on education" during Wike's 2015–2023 governorship, pointing to the rapid deterioration as evidence of mismanagement rather than neglect by successors.
The exchange underscores the lingering political rift between Wike and Fubara, which has simmered since 2023 and escalated into a full-blown crisis involving assembly defections, court battles, and even a brief federal state of emergency earlier this year.
As governor, Wike championed infrastructure projects, including flyovers and model schools, while introducing free primary and secondary education. However, critics argue no teachers were recruited, scholarships dried up, and many projects were abandoned.
Amaewhule's recent video critique of school conditions, however, has backfired, fueling accusations that his faction is shielding Wike from scrutiny.
Wike's office has yet to respond directly, but officials at River assembly dismissed MonITNG's post as politically motivated misinformation, insisting Wike's administration laid solid foundations now undermined by Fubara's fiscal recklessness.
Governor Fubara's administration has pledged N200 billion in the 2026 budget for school renovations, but skeptics demand proof of utilization.
Rivers people, as MonITNG put it, "deserve accountability, not political blame shifting."
The post accuses Wike of squandering billions in education budgets without delivering lasting infrastructure, leaving schools in "shameful and deplorable conditions" under the current administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The controversy erupted just days after Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker Martins Chike Amaewhule, a known Wike ally, publicly lambasted Fubara's government for failing to deploy over N600 billion in inherited funds to revive the sector.
In a viral video address, Amaewhule highlighted dilapidated classrooms, leaking roofs, and overcrowded facilities, questioning why the funds allegedly left by former state administrator Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas had not been used to address the decay.
"This is unacceptable," Amaewhule declared, urging immediate action to prevent further collapse of the education system.
MonITNG's response, posted on X (formerly Twitter) and tagged to Wike (@GovWike), flips the narrative, portraying Amaewhule's critique as hypocritical blame-shifting.
"If barely two years after you left office the entire education system in Rivers State has collapsed into this shocking level of decay, it raises a serious question: what exactly did Wike achieve in eight years?" the post reads.
It demands transparency on the "billions of naira reportedly spent on education" during Wike's 2015–2023 governorship, pointing to the rapid deterioration as evidence of mismanagement rather than neglect by successors.
The exchange underscores the lingering political rift between Wike and Fubara, which has simmered since 2023 and escalated into a full-blown crisis involving assembly defections, court battles, and even a brief federal state of emergency earlier this year.
As governor, Wike championed infrastructure projects, including flyovers and model schools, while introducing free primary and secondary education. However, critics argue no teachers were recruited, scholarships dried up, and many projects were abandoned.
Amaewhule's recent video critique of school conditions, however, has backfired, fueling accusations that his faction is shielding Wike from scrutiny.
Wike's office has yet to respond directly, but officials at River assembly dismissed MonITNG's post as politically motivated misinformation, insisting Wike's administration laid solid foundations now undermined by Fubara's fiscal recklessness.
Governor Fubara's administration has pledged N200 billion in the 2026 budget for school renovations, but skeptics demand proof of utilization.
Rivers people, as MonITNG put it, "deserve accountability, not political blame shifting."
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