A Dispassionate Appeal To The Government Of Abia State On The Deplorable Plight Of Asa High School, Asa.
Tuesday(Orie) 1st July, 2025.
The seventh stanza of Nigeria’s current National Anthem states, ‘To Hand To Our Children, A Banner Without Stain’.
In the previous Nigerian National Anthem, the third stanza stated, ‘The Labours Of Our Heroes Past, Shall Not Be In Vain’.
The worst thing any society or community could do to itself is to fail to hand to its offspring a banner that is not stained. Every human society, community or family works all round the clock to bequeath her children legacies upon which they could develop further.
In the same vein, it is psychologically disgusting, frustrating and disheartening for any generation to stand by and watch the destruction or depletion of the Labours of her Heroes Past. It could be killing.
In their strong determination to lay a very solid foundation for the educational development of their children, and, so, brighten their future in a competitive world, Leaders of Asa Sub-ethnic Nationality, now addressed as Ukwa-West Local Government Area of Abia State, though some are currently in Ukwa-East Local Government Area, and many others in Rivers State, led by late Chief O. C. Ememe, who would later represent the people of Aba-South Federal Constituency, now known as Ukwa-East and Ukwa-West Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives from 1959-1966, decided to build a Secondary School, called Asa Grammar School, Asa, which took off in 1962. That College, as it was then called, was the pride of Asa People. Some Asa people risked being imprisoned for failure to pay levies imposed by Asa Clan Union for the building of the College which was strategically located between two cities, Aba with a merchantile economy and Port-Harcourt with a marine economy. The task on the commoners to build that College was quite heavy and burdensome but it was a task that had to be accomplished, and, luckily enough, it was accomplished.
Asa Grammar School, Asa, was forcefully converted to an Army barrack during the Nigerian Civil War of 1966-70, occupied by Officers and Men of 144 Bomber Battalion of the 3rd Marine Commando of the Nigerian Army. The Army, after much pressure, left the School in 1972. Just before then, the Ukpabi Asika-led Civilian/Military Administration of East-Central State had taken over Schools in the State, and Asa Grammar School, Asa was changed to Asa High School, Asa.
With the Government take-over of Schools, management of the School slipped off the hands of Asa Clan Union, which is currently Asa Development Union, ADU. Therefore, the responsibility of managing and catering for the School became the entire responsibility of the State Government. Of course, it has to be noted that by virtue of creation of more States by different Military Governments in Nigeria, Asa Grammar School, Asa and later Asa High School, Asa has witnessed the influence or otherwise of four different Regional or State Governments; (1) Eastern Regional Government, (2) East-Central State Government, (3) Imo State Government, and now (4) Abia State Government.
To add salt to injury, it became fashionable for many Communities in Asa land, just like in other clans, to build their own neighbourhood Secondary Schools. So, Asa High School, Asa, became like a goat owned by all but catered by no particular person. The consequences became obvious and glaring.
The fate of the School was almost meant to hang in the balance in 2010 following a state of despicable insecurity that was characterised by brutal cases of kidnapping and killings orchestrated by hoodlums such as Osisikankwu, Stone, Shalaga, and others. Again, arising therefrom, the State Government gave the School premises to the Nigerian Army in order to stem the tide of insecurity in Asa. The action of the State Government, in our considered opinion, was justified, as both Teachers and Students could not take the risk of going to School in those dark days, and, so, the School was completely deserted. Converting a deserted Asa High School, Asa to an emergency Army Barrack in order to restore security, safety and confidence could not have been a bad idea.
Consequently, Asa High School, Asa, was compelled to relocate to a nearby Primary School where it now squats, with the barest of needed facilities.
Most of the Classrooms have no doors, no windows! The roofs of the Classrooms have no ceilings. One could, therefore, imagine the discomforting condition under which the Teachers and Students teach and learn.Even the most basics,
blackboards, are decrepit.
Officials of West African Examination Council, WAEC, recently paid a visit to the School and almost gave it a red card, threatening to debar it from presenting candidates for WAEC examination if after September 2025 the School still does not have Laboratories. The School does not have a library.
The main premises of Asa High School, Asa, was well protected by a solid perimeter fence. It was easy to ward off hoodlums from the School, and at the same time check truancy amongst students. Enforcement of discipline was quite easy because the School was fenced. Today, Asa High School, Asa, has no fence and, so, is badly and dangerously porous.
Student enrollment at the School has become so insignificant that it is now obvious that Asa High School, Asa, is now debilitatingly a shadow of itself. Asa High School, Asa, of all Schools! How is the Mighty fallen?
Equity Global Reporters Ltd honestly believes that since the original premises of Asa High School, Asa, with all the facilities in it, were taken over by Abia State Government in order to address the challenge of insecurity which inhibited flow of businesses from Aba to Port-Harcourt, and vice versa, and, so, consequently affected the economic fortune of the State, as more than 50% of the State’s economy is determined by flow of commerce and services on that Aba-Port-Harcourt axis, the Labours of Asa Heroes Past, such Leaders as Chief O. C. Ememe (MFP), His Royal Highness Eze J. E. Adiele (MEHA), His Royal Higness Eze W. W. Obinya (Okenze 1), HRH Eze Stephen Nwosu ( Okenze 11), Chief F. W. Wosu-Ezi (Secretary of NUT Eastern Region of Nigeria), Chief A. A. Kanu, HRH Eze J. E. Amadi, HRH Eze Dickson Ogbji, and many others who space may not allow to be mentioned here, should not be allowed to be in vain.
Those Leaders had worked assiduously, believing they were handing a banner without stain to their children. Unfortunately, the symbol and essence of their Labours have been forced by preventable circumstances to be at cross purposes with what their goals were.
If Abia State Government could, in one of its quarterly reports, claim to have expended an amount as humongous as Fifty-four Billion Naira, N54b, on rehabilitation of Public Schools in the State but no kobo was expended on Asa High School, Asa that the State Government had sequestered its original premises and the Teachers and Students forcefully relocated to the premises of a Primary School, the State was not, by any string of imagination, considerate and fair to the Heroes Past of Asa.
The Government of Abia State could, however, come to the rescue of Asa High School, Asa, by way of Infrastructural upgrade, especially providing Laboratories for the School, and fencing the School, in order to secure the School effectively. No one in his or her senses will advocate that the Army vacates the original compound of Asa High School, Asa. But the State Government has a moral obligation(s) to make the environment where Asa High School, Asa is presently, secured and conducive for effective teaching and learning. This is the least of moral debts Abia State Government owes the People of Asa.
May the Government of Abia State not allow the Labours of Asa Heroes Past be in vain.
Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP,
Okwubunka of Asa and Okeamadi Gburugburu,
Managing-Editor/CEO,
Equity Global Reporters Ltd.
