Controversial social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), on Saturday stormed Odiokwu Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State alongside Miss Winnie Miller, the young woman recently assaulted after drawing attention to the deplorable state of a community secondary school.
VDM arrived at the community with a bulldozer, declaring his intention to demolish the dilapidated school buildings and facilitate the construction of a new structure for the students.
However, the planned demolition was halted following a phone call from the member of the House of Representatives representing Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency, who reportedly appealed for patience, saying he was on his way to Port Harcourt and that there were already plans to renovate the school.
VDM, who addressed residents gathered at the scene, insisted that mere renovation would not solve the problem, arguing that the existing structures were too weak and dangerous for students.
Echoed by several community members present, the activist maintained that the entire school should be demolished and rebuilt, rather than repaired.
According to him, the proposed rebuilding plan would include modern facilities such as a library, laboratory, health centre and other essential learning infrastructure to ensure a safe and conducive environment for students.
To keep youths in the community engaged while the rebuilding project progresses, VDM also proposed a football competition among local teams, promising cash prizes for the winners.
He announced that the winning team would receive N1 million, the second-placed team N500,000, while the third-placed team would take home N300,000.
In a post shared on his social media page, VDM claimed that shortly after his earlier post about the school, some individuals allegedly brought a tipper-load of sand and bags of cement to the site around midnight in an attempt to commence renovation work.
He said the move contradicted the plan to completely rebuild the structure, which he said was supported by popular musician Burna Boy.
VDM added that discussions with the federal lawmaker were still ongoing, noting that further action would be taken after their meeting.
“We want our kids to learn in a conducive environment. The building shouldn’t be renovated because there is a high chance it could collapse on the children,” he wrote.
The controversy surrounding the school began after Winnie Miller posted photos and videos online showing the dilapidated condition of the buildings, sparking public outrage and calls for government intervention.
