Enugu State government has reiterated its displeasure over what it described as an attempt to scuttle the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) in the state.
The government said the consequences of candidates of the state and the entire South East region not sitting for their General Mathematics papers were massive and held nothing but gloom for the future, contrary to what their forebears fought for.
The government made its stand known in a statement issued by the commissioner for information and communication, Aka Eze Aka. It urged candidates and those involved in the examination and other enterprises to go about their legitimate businesses, as the state had taken steps to ensure adequate security of lives and property.
This was also as the state’s head of service, Ken Ugwu, had earlier, in a circular dated Tuesday, May 28, 2024, clarified that there would be no public holiday on May 30, 2024, warning that civil servants and political appointees that failure to report to work would attract severe sanctions.
The commissioner said, “The Enugu State government notes with deep concern the statement credited to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) directing the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to postpone the General Mathematics (Theory and Objectives) examinations scheduled for Thursday, May 30, 2024, which the IPOB had designated ‘Biafra Heroes Day.’
“We note with particular concern IPOB’s statement that ‘WAEC board should not endanger the lives of small children because that 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 on 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.
“Let no one make a mistake about it. Ndigbo excels in the wings of industry, education, and human capital development. Therefore, any pronouncement or action that tends to deny our children their rights to education, which is their ticket to the future, is offensive to our sensibilities and surely the sensibilities of our founding fathers and fallen heroes, who must be turning in their graves, wondering what could have happened to us as a people. More so, when many of the architects of such 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 Igbo land. 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 pronouncement intended to keep them at home. WAEC, as the name implies, is a regional body organising SSCE in Nigeria and across West Africa. The subregion will certainly not wait for us.
“The Enugu State government, therefore, enjoins candidates sitting for the ongoing SSCE in Enugu State to feel free to go to their respective centres to sit for their papers on Thursday, May 30, 2024, without any fears, while the officials involved in the conduct of the examination should also go about their legitimate duties without apprehension.
“As underscored at the beginning of this administration, 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 security of life and property and also deal, according to the laws of the land, with anyone or group bent on scuttling the SSCE scheduled for May 30, 2024 or causing a breach of peace and security of any type.
