Imo Assembly condemns WAEC’s imposition of fines on schools

Suspended Imo APC lawmaker defects to PDP 
The Imo State House of Assembly has condemned the imposition of fines on 266 secondary schools in the state by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) over alleged examination malpractices.

Chairman, House Committee on Education, Dr. Uju Onwudiwe (APC Njaba) and Eddy Obinna (Aboh Mbaise) moved a motion to the effect that WAEC imposed N500, 000 on 266 secondary schools for alleged examination malpractices in the last school certificate examination.

Onwudiwe also accused WAEC of demanding N150, 000 from each of the schools for hiring invigilators and barring teachers from being part of the invigilation.

She described the decision as being unfair to the schools, just as she raised the alarm that it could be detrimental to the development of education in the state, arguing that the penalty should have been against the offenders instead of the schools.

After the debate, Zonal Coordinator of the WAEC in the area was invited to meet principal officers of the House on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 for discussion.

Also, six suspended members of the House reportedly shunned invitation to the committee set up to investigate them.

Speaker of the House, Kennedy Ibeh, has inaugurated the Committee on Mines and Solid Minerals with Michael Njoku (Ihitte Uboma) as Chairman, while Phillip Ejiogu (Owerri North) will serve as the deputy chairman and Heclus Okoro (Ohaji Egbema as members.

He urged chairman of the committee, Kanayo Onyenaechi (Owerri West) not to yield to the suspended members’ unacceptable attitude, but rather to concentrate on the assignment.

MEANWHILE, representative of Nkwerre Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, Obinna Okwara has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

Okwara was one of the lawmakers, who were suspended by the Ibeh-led leadership of the House over alleged misconduct and insubordination. 

Speaking on his defection, which surfaced on social media platforms, Okwara said what he did was a pre-notice to APC of his intention to go back to the PDP at the expiration of his tenure. 

He stressed that people were free to say and believe anything from the video, adding: “I have been sympathetic of APC because of my love for Governor Hope Uzodimma, but that should not stand on the way of my political ambition.