Falana, Stakeholders Kick Against Closure Of Schools

Human Rights activist and Chairman, National Conscience Party, Mr. Femi Falana, and other stakeholders have kicked against a resolution by the Federal Ministry of Education that all private and public schools in the country be closed during the voters’ registration exercise this month.

The registration of voters will take place between 15 January and 28 January 2011, according to a pre-election time table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Falana contended that the Federal Ministry of Education has no power to dabble into the registration of voters, explaining that it is the exclusive preserve of INEC.

“We hereby call on the authorities of other schools to re-open without any further delay,” Falana said in a statement.

Meanwhile, P.M.NEWS learnt that schools in the country are only partially complying with the Ministry’s resolution.

A statement by Mrs. Yemisi Olorundare, AISEN’s administrator, read: “It has been resolved that we should comply with this resolution, but nevertheless all final year students are exempted from this decision to enable them make the necessary preparation for their examination.”

She added: “In order to put a control measure to this kind of resolution in Nigeria, we have decided to come up with the following decisions:

“We are to raise three representatives on Tuesday, 11 January 2011 to submit APEN/AISEN letter of protest to the Presidency via Minister of State of Education.

“We are to publicise our displeasure on a national newspaper publication on Wednesday, 12 January, 2011 and pending security arrangement, our teachers and members are to make a peaceful protest march tagged ‘save our children education’ at 8.00a.m. on Thursday 13 January, 2011.”

Also, as protest against the closure of schools spreads, Maryam Uwais, a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, PAC, led by Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, has resigned her membership.

She reportedly expressed her unhappiness over Federal Government’s decision to close schools and mortgage the educational career of million of Nigerian children for political reason.

Maryam, the wife of Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan last year into the Presidential Advisory Committee to provide an alternative policy platform for his government.

— Simon Ateba

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