The Enugu State government has warned the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra from disrupting the ongoing West African Examination Council examination on May 30.
The government issued the warning on Wednesday in Enugu, through the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Aka Eze Aka.
Mr Aka stated that there was no tolerance for unlawful IPOB activities in the state and asked citizens and students to continue with their exams and routine activities on May 30, assuring them of sufficient protection.
He stated the state government was deeply concerned by a statement attributed to IPOB asking WAEC to postpone the General Mathematics (Theory and Objectives) examinations slated for May 30, which IPOB dubbed as “Biafra Heroes Day.”
He said, “We note with particular concern IPOB’s statement that the WAEC board should not endanger the lives of students because the day is not safe for any individual in Biafra territory.
“This is unacceptable to us, not only because of the well-known position of the Enugu State government on illegal sit-at-home orders, which have dealt a great blow to the socio-economic life and fortunes of the South-East region, but also because of the far-reaching consequences of a whole generation of Enugu children failing to sit for a fundamental subject such as mathematics in one year.’’
The commissioner stressed that Igbo excel on the wings of industry, education and human capital development, saying that any pronouncement or action that tends to deny the children their rights to education, which is their ticket to the future, was offensive. He said the Igbo founding fathers and fallen heroes, who must be turning in their graves, would be wondering what could have happened to Igbo as a people.
He added, “Many of the architects of such an unjust and evil agenda live in the comfort of civilised societies where they go to work and their children go to school every workday. The Enugu State government recognises the sacrifices of our gallant forebears, who gave their all, including their lives, to defend the Igboland.
“But we also recognise that they died that we may not just have life, but to have the best of it, which can only come from developing our human capital to be able to excel in all that we do as individuals and collectively as a people. The government will not sit by and watch the future of our children aborted by such ill-conceived pronouncements intended to keep them at home. WAEC, as the name implies, is a regional body not just in Nigeria but across West Africa.’’
He said the state government, therefore, advised candidates sitting for the ongoing WAEC exam in Enugu State to feel free to go to their respective centres to sit their papers on May 30 without any fears. It also said officials involved in the conduct of the examination should also go about their legitimate duties without apprehension.
He stated, “No one has the right to impose any illegal and involuntary restriction of movement or business activities on anybody within the territory of Enugu State. Such will be met with the full weight of the law. Consequently, the government has put the security agencies on red alert to ensure the security of lives and property and also deal, according to the laws of the land, with anyone or group bent on scuttling the ongoing WAEC exam.’’
