The youth wing of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo Enugu State Chapter, led by Mazi Nnamdi Odo has written a petition against the Provost of the Federal College of Education Ehamufu, Dr. Mrs. Pauline Ngozi Ikwuegbu.
The petition, which came in a 17-point allegation against the Provost, was addressed to the presidential Visitation Panel, accusing her of poor leadership, victimization and harassment of Enugu youths, and illegalities.
Below are the allegations served before the Presidential Visitation panel by Ohaneze Ndi Igbo youth Enugu State Chapter:
“1. Eha-Amufu College of Education is a federal high institution and demands that federal laws should be used as a stepping stone but the Provost has turned it against Ndi-Enugu state by generating an association which houses all other members of staff from all other states within the federation with #Non_Enugu_Indigene as the nomenclature. There is no denial that the Association is to syphon the rights of Ndi-Enugu to Imo.
2. Ever since 2018, Ikwuegbu has declared war against Enugu State youths. She always says to anyone who cares to listen that she hates dealing with Enugu people because they are backward people who irritate her.
And when confronted on issues, she tells you to go do your worse as she is untouchable.
3. Dr. Mrs Ngozi Ikwuegbu has employed more than 300 persons from her state without taking due processes of recommendation for employment. Instances abound of some newly recruited staff without the necessary prerequisites being elevated to ranks/positions beyond their certificate. This needs legal justification.
4. It is pertinent to note that one of the reasons why Federal Government builds institutions in different parts of Nigeria include but not limited to creating employment for the citizens, irrespective of their locality. But Ikwuegbu does not believe in this. She believes that it is an opportunity to illegally settle her people from Imo State to the detriment of the Enugu State Youths who are directly robbed by her actions. The youths of Enugu State being the host are denied the federal character percentage of employment as enshrined by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) thereby increasing the unemployment in the state. It is a great injustice that our state feeds the institution with 97% of students but when it comes to employment we are told that we are not good enough.
5. It is also important to note that Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Ikwuegbu is in habit of threatening students and staff who are from Enugu State. Instances abound of several students who have been denied of their results simply because they are not in her good books. We condemn her action and continued threats against Enugu State youths working with her in the strongest terms and state that it is not evil to be from a particular place(Enugu State) and Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Ikwuegbu or any other person whosoever, has no right to threaten to deal with our people for no reason. She claims that she has a powerful person in the Presidency who protects her from liabilities for her actions.
6. Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Ikwuegbu is barely seen in the school premises hence it is almost impossible to access her but the few occasions that she is around, she makes sure that persons from Enugu State do not see her and when they manage to see her, all she says is that they can go and report her anywhere, that she is connected to powers in the presidency to ‘water down’ any allegation against her and that this is the time of her people from Imo State, therefore Enugu State people must give way for her in an institution sited in Enugu State. For instance, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has been the legal adviser of the institution was unceremonorously removed and replaced by her Imo State brother. All efforts by this SAN to speak with the “almighty” Provost, proved abortive until a suit was slammed against her. We hereby ask, if we should leave our land for Dr. Ngozi Ikwuegbu, where are we going to live?
7. Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Ikwuegbu’s terrible attitude is not limited to only the way she treats Enugu State people but even extends to the way she runs the administration of the institution. For instance, from the school gate, the decay is manifest as there is no gate and even inside the hostel, it is cassava sticks that are used as hostel beds. You should know that the institution is sitting on a time bomb and except something is done about it, it will explode beyond containment. It is not in contention that since she resumed office as the provost, the Federal College of Education, Eha Amufu has been decaying gradually and if the decay is allowed to continue unabated, even before her tenure expires, the institution will have already been grounded.
8. The living conditions of the students inside the hostels is pitiable, the roofs of all the hostels are leaking, there are no restrooms, no bathrooms, our female students are at the receiving ends as they have to bath and cook outside. In our fact finding mission, we discovered that, the windows are broken, the roofs leaking, students baths and defecate outside. The hostels have no power supply and the student have to use lamps. Can the provost keep her daughter or sister in such pig holes like the Eha-Amufu hostels?
9. What happened to the reparation fee the students paid after the demonstrations they carried out? The provost and her Imo state cabal siphoned every dime of the reparation fee without even regards to the welfare of the students.
10. There were transfer of members of staff from Avan Ikoku College of Education to the Federal College, Eha-Amufu, these people were placed above their level at the college. There must be a reason why these staff got these unlawful transfer and placements. It’s either to leave more job opportunities for those in Imo or to jump promotion protocol as to attain high positions un-merited or to remove Ndi-Enugu and place her people around her.
11. Over 400 staff have been employed by the Provost. The employments are lopsided and greatly favours her kinsmen from Imo State. Out of this number more than 300 are from Imo. Are the unemployed youths from Enugu not qualified enough to be employed at Eha-Amufu?
12. Some students are victimized with their results being seized. They have used every known legal means to get there results but every effort proved abortive as the provost swore to deal with them for demanding for a better welfare for the students. They paid reparations fees for destroying no school property yet their results are not given to them. Why are they denied of their results after taken the punishment? Can this happen at Alvan Ikoku where the provost come from?
13. Students pay N20, 000 every year by new intakes both NCE Pre -NCE, Degrees or Direct Entry meant for renovation of hostels. The management led by the Provost should give an account what this money has being used for.
14. The provost increased collection of results from N1,000 to N5,000. This is unwarranted.
15. The Provost shows she is above her own laws as she mandates and forces students to buy her text book, “Classroom Management”. For students to get points, they must buy her book. Those who fail to purchase them are threatened with serious sanctions and failure of course works. These crime is perpetrated by course coordinator ably represented by one Bro. Jude Nweze. Worthy of note is that she doesn’t teach this course.
16. The College has no adequate drug/facility at the clinic to take care of students. The Ambulance for instance is rotting away. What happens to the money allocated for the clinic?
17. There are no security for students. Village roads pass through hostels.”
Here follows the demands of the Ohaneze Ndi Igbo youth:
“Ohaneze Youths, Enugu State Chapter led by Mazi Nnamdi Odo hereby make the following demands to be met as a matter of urgency to make room for peace to prevail.
1. Unconditional release of the results of all 15 students seized.
2. The group known as ‘Association of Non Enugu Indigenes’ should be disbanded immediately.
3. New hostels should be built and while that is going on, the older ones should be renovated. Conveniences should be put in place immediately.
4. There should be no further victimization of staff or students from Enugu state by anyone whatsoever.
5. A committee to look into the students welfare should as a matter of urgency be set up.
6. Review of all appointment made by the Provost.
7. Immediate employment of 300 Enugu youths.
8. A panel of investigation should be set to look into all allegations against Mrs. Ngozi Ikwuegbu.
9. An acting Provost appointed to revamp the decaying institution.
10. Immediate removal of the Provost from office to answer for her mismanagement.”
Responding to the plea of the association yesterday on a panel set for the petition hearing yesterday, the Presidential Visitation panel thanked the Youths for coming to the panel instead of taking Laws into their hands. He went on to promise the panel will look into the grievances of the youth wing of Ohaneze. Speaking to the Panel, Ohaneze Youth leader, Honourable Nnamdi Odo emphasized that their mission is to restore peace and progress to the institution. Meanwhile, he told the panel that they are not giving up on the fight against the victimization of Ndi Igbo youths, and would not back down until justice and peace is restored.