Uneasy calm is currently pervading the Teachers House Owerri Imo State (the ralling point of Teachers) as many startling revelations are made connecting the leadership with corrupt practices.
Trumpeta investigation revealed that teachers in the state are no more comfortable with their union chairman, Dr Cletus Okeke, who was due to retire a year ago according to recordsof the state Education Management Board (SEMB).
This paper understands that the extension of service which is perpetrated in connivance with the NUT secretary, Dr Reginald Anyadike, is aimed at perfecting certain shoddy deals.
A parcel of land acquired by the previous leadership of the Union at World Bank Area Owerri is alleged to have been sold by the chairman and his cronies. Sources said the present leadership could not develop the land as outright sell was the only alternative before the chairman retires. All appeals by previous leaders of the union that the land should not be sold fell on deaf ears.
Another report said all the unions vehicles which have been illegally tagged “unserviceable” have all been recently auctioned by a committee set up by the Union Chairman. The report said the Union Chairman, Dr Okeke, bought the union bus while the union Treasurer, Deacon Poly Iwu bought one of the cars among others.
Some schools Principals who spoke to this paper under condition of anonymity condemned what they called a “face saving” seminar organized for school principals in the state.
They wondered why such a seminar should be conducted
for them on the 28th and 29th of April 2015 at the Teachers House whereas schools reopened on April 27th.
According to them, the about 350 principals who attended the seminar were forced to pay the sum of five thousand naira each deductable at source. They said they were also forced to buy a book written for SEMB by the Executive Secretary SEMB Dr Emma Okolie which was purportedly used for the kangaroo lectures at the seminar.
They complained that the seminar which is expected to rake in about one million, seven hundred and fifty thousand naira was master minded by Dr Okeke just as other teachers at the principals will mandatorily purchase the book for a thousand naira each. “But how can they deduct our five thousand naira for seminar without our consent”, a Principal thought aloud.
A visitor to the Teachers House Owerri, would be greeted by potholes and leaking roofs of the edifice because the funds which would have been used to effect repairs are cornered by the chairman and his cronies and other signatories to the union” account”.
The teachers are also complaining of what they termed frivolous travels which the union’s chairman and secretary claim they make just to siphon the union’s money.
A female teacher who said she comes from Agbala in Owerri North could not contain her anger when she bursted, “go to Agbala, Anyadike has almost bought all the land there”.
