A rather disturbing video has emerged on social media, igniting serious outrage over the appalling feeding conditions at Presbyterian Senior Science School Ididep (PSSSI) in Akwa Ibom State.
The video, shared by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, on Friday, shows students being served a meager and unappetizing meal consisting of watery soup and solid food to eat with it.
The video has prompted widespread condemnation, with Effiong calling on the Akwa Ibom State Government to intervene and address the situation.
He emphasised that the students deserve better and should not be subjected to such inhumane treatment.
Effiong who said he has verified the authenticity of the video insisted that even dogs shouldn't be fed the food given to the students in the video.
"The dining hall looks like a concentration camp," he lamented, calling on education authorities to take immediate action.
Effiong, who is also a social commentator, wrote: "I am heartbroken by the attached horrifying video sent to me this morning by a fellow alumnus of Presbyterian Senior Science School Ididep (PSSSI), Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
"This video shows the despicable “food” that students of the once prestigious school are being fed with. I’m alarmed by this sheer act of wickedness.
"If someone told me that PSSSI has deteriorated to this point, I wouldn’t have believed. This looks similar to what prisoners in Nigeria are fed with. Dogs should not be fed with this rubbish that I am seeing. The dining hall looks like a concentration camp.
"I have confirmed that the students are fed with a useless tea/bread as breakfast, the eyesore we are seeing in this video as lunch, and ‘stone rice that cooks cannot separate the sand’ as supper."
He added, "I am calling on the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, the Chairman of the State Secondary Education Board, Dr. Ekaette Ebong Okon, and the Akwa Ibom State Government as a whole to urgently intervene and address this situation.
"I am also publicly calling on the Commissioner for Information, Comrade @IEmemobong and other government officials from the area to look into this matter.
"Even though I left PSSSI in my SS2 third term to pursue my law dream, it was one of the best secondary schools in the state at the time.”
"We cannot allow our children to be dehumanized in this manner. It is unacceptable," he added.
SOS: AKWA IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SAVE PSSSI
— Inibehe Effiong (@InibeheEffiong) November 22, 2024
I am heartbroken by the attached horrifying video sent to me this morning by a fellow alumnus of Presbyterian Senior Science School Ididep (PSSSI), Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
This video shows the despicable… pic.twitter.com/YmLC2Ms7Vv
Meanwhile, Nigerian tweeps have condemned the food served to the students, saying even prisoners are served better food.
@JournalistsAga3 wrote: "Very horrible, terrible & dehumanising. Everything controlled by Govt leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It is a sad manifestation of what public schools have become. Good governance is not rocket science. Unfortunately, Govt machinery has been hijacked by very wicked officials."
@GIbadin wrote: "What is this again lord? Does this actually mean we got demons in charge of governance in Nigeria? Will they feed their dogs this rubbish? Well, Nigerians have failed to rise up and put a stop to this deliberate dehumanization. I don't see it ending anytime soon."
@flourish007 also wrote: "Wait, are these people prisoners or students?
"Even condemned prisoners on death row shouldn’t be served food of this quality. It’s disgraceful. This clearly shows we have no functioning government. I have nothing more to say."
@realTobiAkinbo described the situation as wickedness.
"Prisoners and slaves even eat better food than this, look at the hall gan sef dammmmm!
"What a wicked happy hour."
@JoshLyffe wrote: "Most of our Political Leaders today enjoyed good education in their school days but now every leader is known for looting funds meant for little things, imagine what they're feeding people's children with in the highest crude oil producing state.”
@Nackson147 also described the situation as terrible.
"No, this is a terrible meal na, even people in prison can’t be served this way.. who is providing this type of terrible meal to this kids?"
However, @BenjaminNworgu said the high cost of living must have been responsible for the situation.
"I will not blame the school management, food stuffs and cost of living is expensive in Nigeria, this is the reflection of it," he said.