As the Governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, prepares ground to unveil his commissioners, it is speculated that the former minister of Education and senior lecturer at Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO),Prof Viola Onwuliri is one of the commissioner nominees and is most likely to oversea the education ministry.
Our source revealed that Professor Onwuliri has been under pressure from mainly her academic colleagues majority of who, are part of the education sub-committee in the Ihedioha transition committee in which they carried out far reaching findings on the state of education in Imo.
It is said that considering the rot in the education ministry, some of the committee members and other stake holders impressed on governor Ihedioha to plead with Prof Viola Onwuliri to take up the appointment.They argued that she is the best for the job, considering her experience and contact which will help to reposition the educational sector.
The source hinted that, the discussion held with Onwuliri earlier in this regard was not fruitful as she vehemently refused the appointment but when the technocrats reminded her that it is call to service and she is needed so much at a time like this to help right the wrongs.
According to them, education is the main stay of Imo economy and what has befallen the state in the past 8 years is disastrous and calls for concern, stating that virtually all the secondary and primary schools in Imo have just few qualified teachers having been recruited from Imo Youths must work program and Community Government Council (CGC) teachers program of the past administration and lack requisite knowledge of teaching profession.
Meanwhile, a cross section of Imo people especially teachers and civil servants in the ministry of Education are of the view that the choice of Prof Viola Onwuliri would be a round peg in a round hole.
A Permanent Secretary who doesn’t want his name in print has this to say, “I prayed fervently that Okorocha does not succeed to install his son inlaw and God answered by prayer. I also pray that the next commissioner that will be deployed to this ministry be well grounded. The fraud and decay here are so much. It will iterest you to know that lot of welfarist programs initiated by the past regime were used to siphon public fund. For instance, the #300 cash disbursement to pupil and school materials for students. All of these were scam” he revealed.
Continuing, the Permanent secretary called on the governor to constitute a probe panel for SUBEB, UBEC and the last recruitment carried out by the Governor, alleging that they were fraught with irregularities.
