Bauchi Govt Rebuilds Storm-Damaged Girls’ School, Work Hits 80%

The Bauchi State Government has accelerated the rehabilitation of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Tafawa Balewa, after a windstorm damaged parts of the institution, with the reconstruction of the affected hostels now about 80 per cent complete.

The State Commissioner for Education, Hon. Abdulkadir Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the ongoing rehabilitation works at the school.

Mohammed said Governor Bala Mohammed directed the Ministry of Education to immediately assess the damage and commence reconstruction after receiving a report on the incident.

He explained that the windstorm occurred about two to three months ago and affected the school as well as four or five other schools in the state.

The commissioner said the government’s intervention followed an engineering assessment of the damage.

“It was a natural phenomenon that took place associated with the windstorm,” he said, explaining that the incident was not caused by negligence on the part of the ministry or the school management.

“Immediately, he approved the contract for the renovation and reconstruction. It’s not up to two months, but you can see the job is almost complete. Almost 80 per cent completed,” Mohammed said.

According to him, the reconstruction was designed to strengthen the structures against similar incidents in the future.

“They have brought an innovation now. They have put beams and pillars from every angle that can stand the power of the storm,” he said.

The commissioner also said the state government had already approved the reconstruction of the school’s perimeter fence before the windstorm.

He assured that rehabilitation work was ongoing in other schools affected by the storm, saying all the affected facilities would be renovated or reconstructed.

Mohammed, however, expressed concern over the low student population at GGSS Tafawa Balewa, saying the school has the capacity to accommodate about 4,000 students but currently has only between 200 and 250.

He appealed to parents and community leaders to support efforts to increase girls’ enrolment.
“What we are doing here is not just about buildings. We need students in these classrooms to justify this investment,” he said.

The commissioner urged residents to verify information before sharing or acting on social media reports, noting that some online reports could portray government interventions negatively.

He said the government remained committed to improving public education infrastructure across the state.

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