Abia State government has warned public school teachers in the state against indulging in misconduct, dereliction and negligence of duty, warning that such attitudes would henceforth attract severe consequences.

The Executive Chairman, Abia State Universal Basic Education Board ASUBEB, Lydia Onuoha, who handed down the warning on Tuesday in Umuahia, said that misconduct would lead to query, suspension and dismissal from duty.

She said that the Abia State government observed with dismay the growing trend of irregular attendance and absenteeism among some public school teachers in the state despite laudable efforts and interventions of the administration of Governor Alex Otti towards a better welfare for them.

She announced that such disciplinary measures would be applied on any identified teacher in line with Public Service Rule and Teachers Code of Conduct

“The full weight of public service rules shall be invoked where necessary, and the government will not hesitate to act in the interest of the children and the future of our state,” she warned.

The ASUBEB Executive Chairman described the development as unacceptable and gross breach of professional ethics, public service rules and betrayal of the trust reposed on educators to build the minds of future generations.

She noted that the administration of Governor Alex Otti had been committed to the welfare of teachers, adding that teachers now received salaries promptly and consistently without delay.

She pointed out that teachers’ promotions that were long overdue had been approved with leave allowance, while 27.5% Teachers Special Salary TSS, had also been actualized.

ASUBEB announced that it will be rolling out a statewide monitoring and enforcement strategy in partnership with the LG education authorities and school-based management committee, adding that the steps include introduction of Biometric Attendance Systems in schools to monitor and track daily teachers’ presence and punctuality.

She further said that there would be unannounced visits and audits across public primary and junior secondary schools, and submission of monthly attendance reports by head teachers to their respective local government education authorities and ASUBEB for review.

A former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has acknowledged that his principal’s leadership was slow.

Shehu, however, said that Buhari’s slowness was due to the former President’s transformation from a former military ruler to a committed democrat who chose to follow due process.

According to him, while most Nigerians were impatient and wanted quick fixes, Buhari could not be bent as he chose to abide by democratic norms.

Shehu stated this during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday night, “Was he slow? Yeah, he himself had joked about all of that,” he said.

He added: “And he kept on saying, when he came in, he was brash as military head of state, he just did things on impulse, and he ordered people to be locked up.

“But this time, as a converted democrat, he needed to follow the due processes that the law says he should follow.

“What is wrong with that? Nigerians are very impatient. We want to rush through things. But he says, ‘no. The democratic process sets the rules. And I must not go against them.’”

While many Nigerians believed that the former president did not know much about things happening under his watch as President, Shehu said that his principal may have been the most aware and well-informed president Nigeria has ever had.

Shehu said that Buhari deliberately allowed his work to speak for itself rather than chase media attention or public applause.

“This thing about Buhari being unaware, it is totally, totally misplaced. If you permit me, I would say that he perhaps would pass as the most aware president Nigeria has ever had,” he stated.

Buhari was the first opposition leader to defeat an incumbent government when he beat Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to emerge president on the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015.

Buhari ruled Nigeria for eight years, introducing economic policies that were widely criticised by Nigerians.

Many Nigerians still believe that the Buhari administration was responsible for the present economic challenges and hardship they are facing today.

Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadiri, has called on the Federal Government to sell or privatize Warri, Port Harcourt and other country’s state-owned refineries.
This was as he describes them as a pure drain on the Nigerian economy.

Ajayi-Kadiri, who made this call on Tuesday, when he appeared as a guest on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television, argued that the government should hand them over to the private sector for efficient management and productivity.

“If you ask me, the government should just sell these refineries. Give them to private sector people who will run them efficiently and be able to deliver. When something belongs to everybody, it belongs to nobody,” Ajayi-Kadiri

It will be recalled that the federal government began efforts in 2024 to revive its four state-owned refineries, with the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries partially restored, while rehabilitation continues on the second Port Harcourt unit and the Kaduna refinery.

The MAN DG, however, decried that the continued government ownership of the facilities has not only proven ineffective but also unfair to the Nigerian people, particularly in a country brimming with capable entrepreneurs.

“Those four refineries are a pure drain on the Nigerian economy, and it is not fair to the Nigerian people.

“We should have a situation where we are able to speak truth to ourselves and encourage private sector investment,” he added.