Abia Assembly begins investigation as Govt College school fees hit N1.1m

Abia State House of Assembly Joint Committee on Education, Public Petition and Judiciary has commenced investigation into a petition written by Mr Chukwudi Onwudinanti, an indigene of Ubani Emede-Ibeku Umuahia East constituency on the alleged activities of the members of Fisher Education Development Trust.

In the petition, Onwudinanti, who is a former student of Government College Umuahia, GCU, alleged that the members of Fisher Education Development Trust, FEDT, have shut out brilliant children within Ibeku and Umuahia East State constituency from assessing quality education in Government College Umuahia by increasing the annual school fees to more than one million Naira.

He also complained that monumental buildings in the school have been pulled down and replaced with lawns.

He also alleged that members of the Government College, Umuahia, Old Boys Association (GCUOBA) have been not been allowed by the FEDT to nominate members in the Board.

In the petition read out by his Lawyer, Ugochukwu Chigozie Zik, Onwudinanti said that the children of low and middle class persons, including the children of most GCUOBA members can no longer be admitted into the College because of outrageous and elitist school fees, among other complaints.

According to him, the privatization and elitist system in which the school is presently run, is contrary to the July 21, 2014 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Abia government and GCUOBA.

He called on the Abia State House of Assembly to intervene in the matter, lamenting that the school which produced Professor Chinua Achebe, Ken Saro Wiwa, Professor Elechi Amadi, Professor Laz Ekwueme, Professor Fubara, all present Senators from Abia State, among others, has now been allegedly pocketed as a private enterprise.

Also speaking, the National President of the Government College Umuahia, Old Boys Association, Dr Chinedum Ahaiwe alleged that the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of the College has been kept out from the reach of his members by the FEDT officials.

But the Secretary to the FEDT, Chuma Onwudiwe, who arrived later in the House, said that the notice of the invitation from the House of Assembly was not communicated to him or the members of FEDT.

In his decision, Chairman of Abia State House of Assembly Joint Committee on Education, Public Petition and Judiciary, Anderson Akaliro, said that the members of FEDT would be given the opportunity to defend themselves before the House would take its decision.

He directed that the members of FEDT should appear before the House committee by Thursday next week, even as he urged the members of Government College Umuahia Old Boys Association to also be present.

Also, the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Austin Okezie said that the Committee has only two weeks to conclude its works.