Okija: Lawmaker Carpets Ohanaeze Scribe
From Ahamefula Ogbu in Abuja
Deputy Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Com-mission (NDDC) Hon Mba Ajah, has carpeted the former Biafran Warlord and Secretary General of the apex Igbo Socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Colonel Joe Achuzia (rtd), for condemning the police raid on the Ogwugwu Isuala shrine in Okija, Anambra State.
In a statement, Ajah said such a view that the raid was aimed at ridiculing Ndigbo was capable of portraying the Igbo nation in bad light since the reported discovery of over 50 corpses in the shrine smacked of cannibalism in the meanest form.
"Nothing could be more reprehensible than for a man of Achuzie's standing and status, indeed the number two Ohaneze Ndigbo chieftain to appear to be condoning the practice of cannibalism in Nigeria in the 21st century. It does not matter if the shrine is in Okija, Lagos, Okene, Ijebu Ode, Katsina, and Damaturu or in Gboko. What is important is that lives of innocent citizens are being wasted", he fumed.
Ajah described the position of Achuzia as a display of primordial sentiment, adding that rather than the police raid being a mockery of Ndigbo; it was the position of the former warlord that was trying to mock and shame the Igbo people "by defending the indefensible".
He referred to past incidents where the name of the Igbo nation was dragged in the mud pointing at the case of Clifford Orji in Lagos and Otokoto in Owerri, adding that unless there was a turn around, the whole world would leave Ndigbo behind.
He described as an attempt to sanitise the system for the safety of the unborn child, the raid on the shrine by the police, insisting that there could be veracity in the claim of the complainant in the case that the priests were the ones killing the victims and were therefore murderers and accomplices in diabolical practices.
"What is indeed surprising and disturbing is the speed and zeal with which our number two Ohaneze Chieftain rose to the "occasion" in reaction to the unfolding incident in Okija. Is it just enough that Achuzia is aware of ancient traditions that support the propitiation of deities with human sacrifice?" he said.
Ajah counseled Achuzia not to attempt to insult the collective psyche of the Igbo who are proud people and warned that if the position of the Ohaneze scribe reflected that of the entire body, then they may have to openly differ with it.
Senate Holds Parley on Open Varsity Admission
From Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja
Senate Committee on Education is billed to hold a consultative forum with the Ministry of Education, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National University Commission (NUC) to resolve the disagreements arising among the bodies over the method of admission employed by NOUN.
Committee chairman, Senator Abdulazeez A. Ibrahim, (PDP, Taraba State), who disclosed this at session with newsmen on the activities of his committee, weekend, said his committee has resolved that the minimum convention entry required in Nigerian universities should be applied and adhered to by NOUN.
"However some concession due to its peculiarities can be granted by JAMB in the area of adult students/workers who may be admitted by direct entry and the decentralisation of admissions on zonal basis to ensure maximum access by all Nigerians," he said.
According to him, NOUN has admitted and commenced studies of its first set of students numbering about 35, 000 without JAMB, a situation which he said contravened Act 33 of 1999 which states that "JAMB is the only body in Nigeria empowered to administer and effect admissions into all tertiary institutions in Nigeria."
On the controversies that surround the purchase of office complex Plot 245 Central Business District, Abuja, by the Ministry of Education for NOUN, Ibrahim confirmed that "the title documents for Plot 245 were actually transferred to Ministry of Education and that NOUN presently occupies the only one floor and the basement of the building.
He said the Senate Committee resolved that, "the Federal Ministry of Education should transfer all title documents in respect of this Plot 245 to NOUN within the next fourteen days (14 days).
"All parties to this matter namely; Federal Ministry of Education, NUC and NOUN are to meet after title documents have been transferred, to agree on modalities for repayment of the N600m loan taken from NUC for the purchase of the property," he further said.
On the disagreement between the National Association of Nigerian Students and JAMB over the alleged forceful collection of N4,000 from intending corps members for re-issuing of past admission letters, Ibrahim noted that "it is the NYSC and not JAMB that initiated the policy requiring incoming corps members reporting for orientation to produce their orginal JAMB admission letters.
"Even though NANS called all their members to resist via a NANS Senate resolution, it did not go to JAMB to find out the facts of the matter before issuing ultimatum or going to the press.
"The fact of the matter is that there already exists a JAMB list of charges approved by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Education, effective 1st March, 2003 for re-issuance of JAMB admission letters thus; current year, N1000; previous year, N2000; and, two years and above, N4000.
"This charge was for a few who might have lost their letters and not the avalanche created by the new NYSC call up policy.
"Considering the tight prevailing economic situation in the country and much larger number of request for the issuance of admission letters thus realizing the advantages of economies scale, JAMB considers revising the charge of N4000 currently required for re-issuance of JAMB admission letters by presenting a new special charge/tariff to Minister of Education for approval to take care of the NYSC call up policy," Ibrahim said.
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