Exams ethics, ALGON differ on retreat
By Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi
ADISAGREEMENT has ensued between the Examinations Ethics Project (EEP) and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) over the holding of a seminar on how to ensure due diligence in government business.
Essentially, the disagreement is over the date that the event titled: "Retreat on Code of Ethics and Due Diligence in the Conduct of Government Business" will hold.
It also bothers on the propriety or otherwise of an agreement which EEP claimed to have got from ALGON to collaborate in organising the event.
While the EEP is bent on holding the seminar from August 11 to 13 as earlier scheduled, ALGON is claiming that the date is not convenient for it. Besides, it faulted the process through which ALGON purportedly agreed to collaborate with EEP in organising the event.
Already, the EEP has petitioned President Olusegun Obasanjo over the matter.
According to the EEP chairman, Mr. Ike Onyechere, the retreat is in response to the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy's (NEEDS) request that all stakeholders should work together to promote government initiative.
The petition reads in part: "On May 20, we wrote to ALGON, inviting it to collaborate in organising the event. Exams Ethics Project held various meetings with ALGON to discuss modalities for the retreat.
"Between May 26 and June 4, ALGON wrote various letters to the EEP conveying its acceptance to collaborate in organising the event. Following the acceptance of ALGON, EEP took steps to upgrade the preparations with the commitment of more logistics, material and financial resources".
According to Onyechere, problem started after a new ALGON executive was elected on July 1.
The petition reads further: "On July 14, a meeting was held at the ALGON secretariat with the newly-elected President, Baver Dzeremo presiding. The national president said ALGON would no longer collaborate with EEP, as ALGON had received the approval of the president to organise its own national seminar from July 26 to 28.
"The ALGON president reasoned that the retreat scheduled to hold between August 11 and 13 was coming too close after an ALGON seminar scheduled to hold at the end of July and that holding two programmes in such close successions would not impact well on the integrity of ALGON.
Dzeremo, when contacted, said EEP should blame itself for obtaining commitment from some ALGON officials other than the executive committee, which had just been elected.
His words: "I don't have anything against the EEP. What I told Onyechere was that there was already an approved seminar, which ALGON intends to hold at the end of July in Abuja. Also, that it would be impossible to bring the chairmen from all the 774 local councils to Abuja again barely a week after for another seminar.
"He (Onyechere) got commitments from some ALGON officials who were not legally empowered to enter into such".
