The Rivers State Ministry of Education is now entangled in over a N1bn debt in connection with the purchase of some technical equipment and machines from German government through the German Chamber of Crafts in Germany. Our investigations revealed that the State Ministry of Education incurred the said debt when the state government under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi through the Ministry signed a partnership agreement for six (6) years with the German Chamber of Crafts to administer and manage the Port Harcourt Technical Vocational Centre (PHTVC).
The State Ministry of Education further signed a contract with the Germans to supply to the PHTVC machines and other equipment amounted over N1bn which the German supplied and installed for use.
Our Education correspondent reported that various kinds of machines that were imported from Germany on credit are used to equip the PHTVC.
The PHTVC which suppose to resume last week is now under lock and key as the Germans who are to manage the institution left for their country angrily since August 2014.
The reason why German technical experts left was that the state government failed to settle the debt it owes the German government from the purchase of the technical equipment.
The institution is now abandoned as there is nobody to manage its administration.
All efforts to contact the Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Nemi Lawrence failed as at time of going to press. ###
