Lagos suspends principal of school where pupils sit on windows

A story on the dearth of good furniture in Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos, published by Saturday PUNCH last Saturday drew a wrong chord with the Lagos State Government.

 Last Monday, it suspended the school principal for allowing this writer to gain access to the school premises and take photographs of classes where pupils sat on windows and concrete blocks while learning.

Even though it was reported in the story titled, “Lagos school where pupils learn sitting on windows, concrete blocks” that the principal was not around when this journalist visited the school, It was learnt that her superiors have decided to hang the blame of the scandal on her.

Efforts to speak to the principal as the news of her suspension broke on Monday, were unsuccessful as she was nowhere to be found in the school. Teachers are not allowed to speak with the press in the state.

But an irked teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the principal was removed from her position as a punishment on Monday.

The teacher said, “This is more serious than you think; you have put this school in trouble. The education

‘oga’ (commissioner) and other state officials summoned the principal on Monday and she has been removed from her position.

“She was asked to start reporting to the office of the permanent secretary of the ministry of education as from Tuesday.”

Our correspondent, who paid an undercover visit to the school on Monday, noticed that the issue had put all the teachers in the school on edge as many of them were seen holding copies of the published report.

It was also learnt that the state government’s education top officials had gone a step further by querying a teacher who was teaching a class when photographs of an array of broken furniture the pupils sat on were taken.

Our source within the school said another teacher, a head of department, is also facing the ministry’s ‘fire’ in connection to the said publication. The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, had last week Friday admitted that her ministry was aware of the issue of the bad furniture in the school.

“Thank you for your observation; we are not unaware. As I write, chairs are being supplied and before too long, it will go round the schools,” a text message from her said on Friday. But by Monday when this correspondent visited the school, no new chairs had been supplied.

This correspondent got in touch with the Lagos State Chairman of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr. Babatunde Philips, to find out if the state of furniture in secondary schools in the state had been a subject of discussion in the conference’s deliberations in the past.

But Phillips said he could not comment on the issue at the time.

“I heard about the suspension of the principal (of Ikeja Grammar School). It makes me very sad that she had to be suspended. But we are planning to make our findings about the issue. I cannot say anything about the issue right now,” he said.

The state government’s action after last Saturday’s publication seems to have become a trend in the way it handles issues relating to its responsibilities.

In August 2013, after Saturday PUNCH published a report on the state of an orphanage located beside a house owned by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Orelope Adejoke-Adefulire, operated by Mrs. Rose Nwachukwu, the state government closed down the orphanage and arrested the woman even though experts said officials should have monitored the orphanage’s activities in the first place.

When a text message was sent to Oladunjoye on Thursday on the report that the principal was suspended, Oladunjoye replied simply, “Which report is that please? I know a report is already in the public domain.”

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Meet The Man Tinubu Wants to Take Over as Governor of Lagos State after Fashola

 

Strong indications have emerged that the leadership of All Progressives Congress in Lagos have acquiesced to the request of Christians in the state for a Christian governor in 2015. The candidate of choice is Ayo Gbeleyi, the present Commissioner of Finance in the administration of quintessential Governor Babatunde Fashola.

The decision to present a Christian candidate emerged after due consultations with eminent Christian leaders and clerics who have promised to mobilise other faithfuls to vote enmasse for the party if a Christian emerges as gubernatorial candidate in the state. The leadership of the APC, after a thorough search, have found a willing and reliable Christian candidate in Ayo Gbeleyi, a thoroughbred professional known for his exceptional brilliance and intelligence.

Since the searchlight has beamed on Gbeleyi, Christian leaders are delighted that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not only heeded to their demands but responded accordingly. They had argued that Moslems have successively governed the state since the inception of democracy. It is just fair and equitable to allow a Christian to govern Lagos, given the fact that successive governors of the state since 1999 that democracy returned have been Moslems. Besides, they argued that the three Senatorial seats are occupied by Moslems. The call for a Christian governor, observers of politics in the state reasoned is not to ignite any religious crisis but to ensure balance and equity.

Observers opined that the efforts of successive administrations in the state in areas of governance, accountability and reliability are not and should not be exclusive of faith or religion.

A thoroughbred candidate like Gbeleyi, they posited, is equally suitable for the exalted post. With his pedigree and insights in public service, finance, procurement, construction, project management, etc, he is, no doubt, a round peg in a round hole. It could be recalled that he single-handedly planned and made a major breakthrough with his well-thoughout Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative in Lagos. While he served as the Director-General of the parastatal, he also doubled as the Senior Adviser to the Executive Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on the project.

Over time, his visionary leadership amid pressure, necessity and even adversity on several projects in his purview yielded unprecedented positivity and growth that sooner than ever, Lagos becomes an envy spot in PPP. Commendable is his ability to work seamlessly with the Ministries Department Agencies (MDAs) to realise and institutionalise Lagos of our dream and the government strides to make the state a Megacity is achieved.

The beauty and elegance we see in the services of the Bus Rapid Transit, (BRT), Lekki-Epe Toll Concession, the Independent Power Plant, Oluwole and Tejuoso Market Developments, Adeniran Ogunsanya Ultra Modern Shopping and Retail Commercial Centres are some of the lofty ideas he has shared and executed with the support of the purposeful leadership in the saddle of governance in the state.

Asiwaju Tinubu, after wide consultations with all interest groups and political blocs in the state, is optimistic that Gbeleyi with his background can effortlessly manage the internally generated revenue of over N18billion of the state and continue in the stride of previous governments to make Lagos an enviable commercial base.
It takes a visionary leader to fish out a promising successor.

Asiwaju, from all ramifications have proven that he knows one when he sees one. His ability and confidence in his choice of BRF as his successor has proven his insightful leadership. He will not go wrong with Ayo Gbeleyi.
 
According to reliable sources, Gbeleyi, in readiness for the task ahead, has not only received the nod of top ans formidable stakeholders in politics, he has built a financial war chest to prosecute his electionering campaign. His readiness from all fronts, our sources hinted, gives Asiwaju a strong conviction that he is the man for the job and other contenders are pretenders. He has also built a formidable media team to actualise his dream.

For Gbeleyi, it has been a calculated rise to the top. His recent appointment on the recommendation of his immediate past boss, the former Finance Commissioner, Hon. Tokunbo Abiru, the express approval by the Executive Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and the state's Assembly speak volume of his character and disposition towards public service.

 With his record of service, wisdom and support from all stakeholders and the people of Lagos State, Hon. Ayo Gbeleyi is poised to steer the ship of the state to greater heights.

 

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