News
Exam Malpractice: RSG Shuts School …Principal, Teachers In Police Net
Rivers State Government has ordered the closure of Niger Grammar School, a private Secondary School in D-Line area of Port Harcourt in the wake of alleged involvement in examination malpractices. Also, the principal and two teachers of the school now in police net, would be prosecuted for their alleged complicity in the examination malpractice in the on-going West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) in the school.
Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja who made this known in an interview with newsmen after monitoring the conduct of SSCE in parts of Port Harcourt, explained that the affected school would be shut at the end of this year’s SSCE examinations.
He said government’s onslaught against “miracle centres” where candidates are guaranteed excellent results without hard work, would continue until all such schools are flushed out of the education system.
Commending the orderliness and discipline that characterized the examinations at Government Girls Secondary School, Oromineke and other public schools he visited, the Commissioner however, expressed regret that in some private schools, the students refused to work hard and relied on corrupt school officials and invigilators to write the examinations.
On the case of Niger Grammar School, the Commissioner noted that a student pays as much as N15,000 for each paper written by a teacher or other examination mercenaries. According to him, it cost about N30,000 for the candidate to stay in the comfort of his/her home while the paper is written for him/her at the examination centre.
Even though a total of 240 candidates reportedly registered for the English Language Paper 1 at the Niger Grammar School, reliable sources told The Tide that only 196 were in examination hall, thereby fueling speculations that the absentee candidates may have arranged mercenaries to write for them.
The Commissioner said the two teachers and the Principal of Niger Grammar School have been handed over to the police for further interrogation and subsequent prosecution.
He warned that Government would withdraw its approval of schools caught in examination practices as well as deregister them until the Ministry of Education is convinced that such schools have shown compliance with Government regulations and high ethical standards.
According to him, the present government has committed enormous resources to improve the quality of education in the state, saying that government would exercise zero tolerance on any school principal or official who constitutes a clog in the wheel of progress. He was emphatic that such erring officials risk termination of appointment.
During his monitoring of the conduct of the on-going SSCE examinations, the Education Commissioner spent time invigilating and inter-facing with candidates on the conduct of the examination in all the schools visited.
Other schools visited during the monitoring exercise include Government Secondary School Elekahia, Dietams International Secondary, off Odili Road and Tantua International Group of Schools, Elekahia Housing Estate.
Donald Mike-Jaja
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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