This demotion is victimization, uncalled for

Iwas baffled when I read the story of a school headmistress in Abia state who was demoted to a classroom teacher for saying what her employers consider to be a taboo in the teaching profession. The story which was carried on page 16 of the Daily Trust on Saturday edition of April 15, 2017 reports that Mrs Maryleen Ezichi was demoted for publicly ‘begging’ the wife of Abia State governor to appeal to the governor to pay teachers in order to alleviate their plight.

The Abia state government had in the early part of 2016 flagged off its free feeding programme for primary schools in the state under the supervision of the wife of the governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu. On March 16, 2017, Mrs Ikpeazu visited Amaetiti primary school in Ohafia Local Government Area (LGA) to inaugurate the school’s free feeding programme. Speeches were made by various guests that graced the occasion.

When it was the turn of the headmistress of the school to make her remarks, she said ‘Your Excellency, Our First Lady, a common adage says that any message sent through the billow of smoke is believed to have gotten to heaven’. So, please help us and plead with His Excellency to pay teachers because we are suffering’. Although the headmistress’ remarks appealed to her colleagues, it was considered embarrassing by the state government. Soon after the event, the ‘vocal’ headmistress was demoted to a classroom teacher and also transferred to Ukwa East LGA.

As affirmed by a government source, ‘an employee of government can be transferred from one part of the state to another where government considers his/ her services are needed most’. This could be true depending on the immediate circumstances preceding the transfer. A situation where the transfer letter states that ‘the posting is with immediate effect’; describing her failure to report to her new station as ‘an act of insubordination’ further raises fundamental questions about the fairness in the motive behind the posting of Mrs. Ezichi, the ‘victimized’ headmistress.

But when did the public presentation of an appeal or complaint before a VIP become an offence in the civil service? Being a governor’s wife does not make her one of the public servants defined by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And even if she were one, it is not to the knowledge of Nigerian workers that public tendering of requests, complaints, appeals or grievances is an indictable offence in the civil service. If it were actually so, then local government chairmen, state governors and traditional rulers are no less culpable than Mrs. Ezichi, the ‘oppressed’ headmistress.

It is a common tradition in Nigeria that whenever governors pay official visits to LGAs, local government chairmen normally see such as an opportunity to publicly appeal (in their speeches) to their governors, to come to their aid in areas of their most pressing need(s). This could be in terms of roads rehabilitation, provision of portable drinking water, construction of classroom blocks or improving upon the healthcare delivery system. No governor in Nigeria’s history has ever sanctioned a local government chairman for publicly making such appeals.

Governors’ too, who would never fail to solicit for more funds in their speeches to welcome the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to their respective states have also never been ‘demoted’ to the position of deputy governor for making such speeches. Traditional rulers who would naturally express the plight of their people while receiving every government official have also never been victimized for doing so. Why, thus, is the case of Mrs Ezichi an exception?

The Abia state Commissioner for Education, Prof Ikechi Mgbeoji, has denied the report just as the Chief Press Secretary to the wife of the governor, Mr Eze Ajuzie, has dissociated his Oga-Madam from the matter. This, in my view, is not the issue. The VIPs involved in the matter should have called some of their aides who probably acted out of overzealousness to order; directing them to reverse the transfer and demotion letter handed down to the headmistress. And that would end the matter. This was the ethical way in which the recent suspension of a punch newspaper reporter attached to the State House was reversed. After all, the source of the letter of transfer and demotion is known as both documents were issued by the Secretary and Director of Administration at the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB).

Matters would have even been seen differently if the governor’s wife for whose cause the headmistress was victimized were a public servant. Unless she visited the school as acting governor or acting deputy governor, many Nigerians including this writer find it difficult to understand how the headmistress’ speech amounted to an embarrassment. It is for this sort of undue interference in matters that are strictly official that wives of governors should not be involved in state activities. What’s is the wife of a governor doing in school feeding programme? Is she the provider of the funds? In what capacity was she asked to co-ordinate the programme when there are public officers whose schedule includes this? Why was the state commissioner for education or the chairman of ASUBEB not saddled with the responsibility of inaugurating the feeding programme in schools across Abia State?

The Abia State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has unfortunately failed to demonstrate enough proactivity in this matter. That could be a reflection of the unethical tendencies that have in recent years come to dominate union activities and union leaders in Nigeria. In any case, it is important to acknowledge the reaction of the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe, who said, ‘it is very regrettable, utterly disappointing, shameful, thoughtless, embarrassing and politically suicidal for Don Ubani (PDP Publicity Secretary in Abia) to support the action against Ezichi’. Until government, people and teachers collectively rise to defend the worth of teachers in Nigeria, character moulders of future leaders would continue to be humiliated. May Allah (SWT) come to the aid of teachers in Nigeria, amin.