Parents of the five children who drowned in River Kaduna in 2017, have appealed to the Kaduna State Government to redeem its pledge of paying compensation to them over the tragedy.
Mr Abiodun Arogundade, who spoke on behalf of the parents on Thursday, in Kaduna, during a press briefing, recalled that even President Muhammadu Buhari had advised the state government to pay the compensation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the five children who drowned in River Kaduna on Aug. 11, 2017, were students 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 want to appreciate the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari for his pronouncements a week after the incidents in August 2017.
“Mr President ordered for investigation into the incident and compensation to be paid to the affected families.
” But the instructions of Mr President were yet to be carried out or some group might have sat on the compensation,” he said.
According to him, the state governor, Nasiru El-rufai, had also adopted the report of the investigation committee and gave 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 federal government and our father 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, Alhaji Ja’afaru Sani, in his reaction to the complain by the parents, 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 which the government is experiencing.
The commissioner, however, gave the assurance that government would pay the compensation as soon as resources were available.(NAN)