By Capital Watch Media
A non-governmental organization in Akwa Ibom State, Open Forum, has called on the governor of the state, Umo Eno, to disband the investigative panel on poor school meals set up by the state Ministry of Education and set up an independent panel.
Following a trending video on the poor feeding of boarding students of the Presbyterian Senior Science School, Ididep, in Itu Local Government Area of the state, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, ordered the suspension of the principal, Dr Nse Umo, and set up a 15-man investigative panel, comprising members of the ministry to unravel the cause of the poor meals and make recommendations.
The panel was initially headed by the commissioner herself, but she was later replaced with Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, a retired permanent secretary in the ministry.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, the state capital on Monday, the founder of the Open Forum, Matthew Okono, not only faulted the composition of the panel but described it as damage control and medicine after death.
Okono, who stated that one cannot be a judge in his own case, argued that if at all a committee is required to probe the poor feeding of the students, such a committee should be an independent one, with membership not exceeding 5 or 7.
He said, “Open Forum joins other people and organisations worldwide in condemning the gory sight of having to watch the short video of our helpless children being fed with coloured water in the name of a meal.
“The embarrassment brought upon a rich state that is known for about the widest variety of cuisines in the country is beyond comprehension.
“The suspension of the Principal of Presbyterian Senior Science School, and consequent setting up of a 15-member investigative panel, earlier headed by herself, and later replaced with Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, a respected retired Permanent Secretary from the state Ministry of Education, and comprising of only officials of the ministry as members is damage control and medicine after death.
“No one should be a judge in his case. A better administered and supervised school system would not have brought huge embarrassment to the people of Akwa Ibom State.
“Open Forum hereby appeals to His Excellency, Governor Umo Eno, to disband the ‘investigative panel.’
“If at all a committee is needed to find out why such a heartbreaking meal, unfit for even dogs was served to students of Presbyterian Senior Science School, Ididep, it should be done by an independent body. The number of members may not exceed five or seven.”
He stated that the independent panel should be mandated to investigate the allegations of corruption involving principals and the state secondary education board to influence postings to choice schools in the state.
He also urged the state governor to faithfully implement the strategic education roadmaps already documented and handed over to the state government in 2020, noting that it was the non-implementation of the roadmap that resulted in the poor school feeding of students.
He added, “The crisis in the education sector is not an isolated case, but widespread. It is instructive to note that a permanent solution on how to transform the education sector in the state had been documented and handed over to the state government since 2020 under the administration of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.”
