It was
gathered that Ezichi has been transferred to the Ukwa-East Local Government
Area — about 140 kilometers from her former school — to serve as a deterrent
for her ‘impunity and lack of respect for constituted authority’.
The
headmistress, it was learnt had, during an interactive session with Ikpeazu’s
wife after the inauguration of her free meal programme for primary school
pupils in her school, complained that ‘teachers were being owed several months
of salary arrears and allowances’.
Ezichi was
quoted to have told the governor’s wife that teachers are finding it difficult
to meet their financial obligations like the payment of house rents, school
fees for their wards, medical bills, transport fares and had pleaded with her
to intercede on their behalf.
It was
gathered that two days after, the embattled Ezichi was whisked away to Umuahia
from the school, where she was handed a letter of deployment and instructed to
proceed to the new station immediately.
While
defending the headmistress, one of her colleagues, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, queried the appropriateness of the government’s action, maintaining
that if the government felt embarrassed by her appeal it should do the needful
and pay teachers' salaries.
He said, “By
the way, of what importance is the meal programme to the pupils in particular
and the schools in general? What about other schools in the community? All we
are saying is that the government should pay us our entitlements period.”
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