Abia: APC demands reinstatement of demoted headmistress

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has condemned the alleged demotion of a primary school headmistress to a classroom teacher for pleading with the state government to pay teachers their standing salary arrears.

The party described the alleged action as impunity, saying this had characterised the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled state government.

The APC describe the demotion as unacceptable, uncivilised and urge the state government to immediately pay workers their entitlements.

It noted that the Federal Government had been magnanimous to states by releasing bailout funds and the funds from the Paris Club.

The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Benedict Godson, who made the party’s position known while speaking with journalists in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, queried what the state government had done with the various funds accruable to it.

He said, “The Abia State Government owes workers several months’ salaries, despite all the funds at its disposal. They have to put all the money in use. The state government must tell ‘Abians’ why civil servants are being owed arrears of salaries and pensions.”

“The state government should know that this impunity won’t work in Abia anymore. The woman in question has worked all these years to get to the position of a headmistress and shouldn’t be demoted to a classroom teacher for asking for her rights.”

Godson stated that the embattled headmistress had done nothing wrong by pleading with the wife of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Nkechi, to tell her husband to pay workers their salaries and allowances.

He threatened that the APC would drag the stae government to court if Mrs. Maryleen Ezichi was not restored to her rightful position.

Meanwhile, the state government had yet to come up with an official statement over the issue, although the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Enyinnaya Appolos, had said the state government would investigate the incident.

Source: Punch