Niger Govt Demotes School Principal Over Extortion

Niger State commissioner for education Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu has ordered the suspension of Ndatsu Yahaya, the principal of Government Day Secondary School, Saminaka, for alleged extortion over 50 students who were to sit for the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE).

Yahaya was also transferred from the school to another as a classroom teacher.

The commissioner gave the directives during an interface with the concerned parents and some community members who drew the attention of the ministry to the development.

The PTA members of the school approached the ministry to appeal to the authorities to intervene as the money collected was not remitted to WAEC for the examination.

While lamenting the plight of their children who cannot write the 2023 Internal Examination due to non-remittance of the funds to the WAEC after collecting the money from the students by the principal, the parents said they were only aware that it was a scam when the examination started.

The permanent secretary of the ministry, Abdullahi Usman Imam, who represented the commissioner at the interface, expressed dismay at the attitude of the principal and ordered for his immediate suspension and transfer to a school in the city as a classroom teacher and a substantive principal be posted to the school immediately.

He said the ministry would not condone such ungodly attitude by any principal and ordered that the principal will from now be receiving half of his salary until he paid off the money collected.