– Set To Protest Indictment Of Members Involved In Unethical Conduct
Stakeholders in the education sector have expressed dismay over the way and manner the executive of All Nigeria Coalition of Principals of Secondary Schools ANCOPSS, in Imo State, led by Comrade Duru, is currently dominated by retired Principals who are no longer in service, contrary to the constitution of ANCOPSS, which stipulates that any official who retires from service should tidy up and hand over to a successor after three months.
Some serving Principals who are not comfortable with the development which they described as absurd are of the opinion that the situation has made the government to alienate and distance its self from ANCOPSS, because it is presided over by people it does not have control over. The executive of ANCOPSS, on the other hand disregard government officials and their directives because they feel they don’t owe them any obligation or allegiance.
Some Principals who don’t want their names in print said, “it is regrettable that Duru, a strong member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was the Principal of a Secondary School in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area before he retired from service in June 2023 and some members of his executive who have also retired from service, have refused to hand over, thereby holding ANCOPSS, which they run as their private business to ransom. “For instance, almost all the Zonal Chairmen of ANCOPSS in Imo State have retired. Majority of the Local Government Area Chairmen, including Mrs Rita Uwaforo, who still presides over the affairs of ANCOPSS in Owerri West Local Government Area. How can these retirees relate with government officials, discuss current issues affecting Principals and also protect their interests when they are no longer in the system and their loyalty in doubt”.
“They don’t render account to anybody, despite collecting millions of naira from students through the ANCOPSS support levy that all students who sit for the NECO, WAEC and Junior WAEC examinations in the state every year pay. Yet, the money is not channeled towards any meaningful project, neither is it accounted for. Some of us who are still in service and are executives of ANCOPSS at different levels, are often ex-communicated from meetings of ANCOPSS, where sensitive issues are discussed because they know that our loyalty is firmly with the state government that pays us salary. Hence, we will neither support nor be part of any protest against the government and its agencies or flout the directives of constituted authority. For instance, we heard that some members of ANCOPSS state executive, recently held a secret meeting where they resolved to embark on a mass protest in respect of some principals who were either demoted or redeployed for either extorting students or engaging in other unethical and unprofessional conducts.
We wish to make it very clear that we are not part of the proposed mass protest because those for whom the Duru-led Imo ANCOPSS executive intend to embark on the strike have been investigated and found culpable. Duru and his fellow retirees therefore intend to use the planned protest to divert attention from their refusal to vacate office as ANCOPSS executive in Imo State and hand over to successors.
Duru, also knows that there is no way he will tell other members of his executive who have retired from service to hand over without doing the same. That is why he decided to pretend as if he does not know that their continued stay in office does not only violate the constitution of ANCOPSS, but is also making things difficult for the group in Imo State. We therefore call on the state government to intervene and salvage ANCOPSS in Imo State from the strangle hold of the Duru-led executive that is dominated by retirees. We also urged relevant security agencies in the State to monitor the activities of Duru and members of his executive, with a view to ensuring that the planned protest which will be inimical to the interest of the education sector and our dear state does not hold because it is baseless and does not have the support of serving principals in the state who have pledged their unflinching support and loyalty to the Governor Hope Uzodinma Shared Prosperity administration”.
