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Dr. Uji’s forced resignation due to incompetence, corruption – Education Ministry
Benue State Ministry of Education has reacted to claims and counter claims of the resignation of the erstwhile Executive Secretary of Benue State Teaching Service Board (TSB), Dr. Wilfred Uji Terlumum.
In a statement issued and made available to CAPITAL POST on Saturday by Mrs Cecilia Akegh, it described the former TSB boss as a man who is immersed in lies, while urging him to be truthful with the circumstances that removed him from the office he served in nearly four years.
The statement reads: “We have read with shock and disbelief, the outright lies and complete misrepresentation of facts in the public space peddled against the government of Governor Samuel Ortom by the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board, TSB, Wilfred Uji Terlumun.
“An Associate Professor of History would ordinarily come across as credible, but despite Dr. Terlumun’s long years in academia and government, he could still deliberately disseminate skewed and malicious information against a government he served for some years.
“The Big Lie: Dr. Uji whose tenure as the Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board is to expire in November 2020 falsely reported that he voluntarily resigned from his position to return to his career in academics.
“Against all professional ethics, he said: “I have decided to disengage my services largely because my tenure was for a period of four years, 2016-2020.” The disengagement, according to him, “is to allow me enough time to process my reengagement with the Federal University, Lafia, where I took leave of absence as an associate professor of history. I have completed my tenure and will like to return to the university to achieve full professorial status.” This is far from the truth.
“The Truth: The former Executive Secretary of the TSB was actually asked to resign on Monday, April 1, 2020, when it became obvious that he could no longer competently man the high office he occupied. He was also insubordinate to the Government that appointed him as well as disrespectful to the supervising Ministry and its leadership. Rather than mend his ways, Uji went round lobbying prominent individuals and traditional rulers to have them intervene and stop his sack.
“Throughout his nearly four years as the helmsman at the TSB, Dr. Uji never followed laid down civil service rules nor recognized the need to work in harmony with his supervising Ministry. Rather, he derived pleasure in circumventing due process and cutting corners, acts that were inimical to the smooth operation of the agency he headed.
For instance, there are several cases of allegations of illegal deductions of salaries of principals of schools during his tenure. In one of such complaints made by the state wing of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS on January 23, 2019, in a meeting held at the headquarters of the board, the State Chairman of the group, Michael Gondo asked that the erstwhile Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board be directed to stop deductions on Principals’ salaries since there were no receipts issued to give official backing to the deductions.
“Similarly, ANCOPSS in a representation to the Ministry demanded that receipts on all deductions from principals’ salaries in 2018 be issued to them. ANCOPSS also demanded in their complaint against the erstwhile Executive Secretary that principals of schools be adequately communicated with regards to any legal deductions and that all such deductions be specified in all communication between the board and the principals.
This, the former TSB boss never complied with. He rather proceeded to unnecessarily punish any principal whom he suspected to be outspoken.
“The former TSB Executive Secretary was warned severally via letters with ref No: MOEST/OFF/27/V1/40 dated 30/5/2018, MOEST/OFF/27/V1/144 dated 22/6/2018; MOEST/OFF/27/V1/154 of 23/10/2018 and another dated 26/11/2018 with ref no: MOEST/OFF/27/V1/159 to desist from illegally deducting salaries or levies from schools or principals.
“It is apparent that Dr. Uji was ignorant of the workings of TSB to which he was appointed to head. He was in constant disagreement with his supervising Ministry at every turn. For instance, he repeatedly refused to attend meetings called for by the Honorable Commissioner for Education. He insisted that if he must attend such a meeting, it must be held in his office. This continued throughout his tenure at the board.
“On the appointment of school principals, Dr. Uji erroneously assumed absolute rights and wished such rights be not questioned or subjected to an administrative oversight, forgetting that the law confers on the Ministry the right to appoint principals of government schools just as the law empowers proprietors to appoint Principals of their schools.
“He exhibited more acts of gross ignorance and insubordination when he chose to query the role of the Ministry of Education over agencies and departments under it while flagrantly flouting the same. For instance, in a letter dated 13th /02/2020, the former TSB boss wrote to the Benue State House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Education requesting for “Clear definition of functions and roles between the Teaching Service Board and the Ministry for Education” and asked for the need “to clearly define the boundaries between the Ministry and office of the Executive Secretary on duties, functions, and roles.” If he claimed that he didn’t know the functions, limits of authority and jurisdiction of the agency he headed, and despite his academic attainment, he should be educated that agencies and parastatals are supervised by the ministries and their commissioners. His inability to interpret his role at TSB led to his underperformance, gross misconduct and eventual forced resignation.
“Dr. Uji’s claim that no one briefed him on his schedule nor asked for his blueprint at the agency is a clear exhibition of either intelligence deficiency, mischief or both. Why else was an academic brought to heard such a sensitive government agency? He ought to have developed a work plan, given his experience as an academic, and developed a framework on how best to give the teachers in Benue state a fresh breath of ideas on curriculum development and transfer to students. But because he never understood his role, he chose to dump his inefficiency on the Governor, claiming that he had no time with the Governor to brief him. This is another tissue of lies which has no basis whatsoever.
“Dr. Uji lives a lie when he talks about integrity, painting the management of the Ministry, its commissioner and other top management staff in bad light and with foul language.
As we speak, there are many petitions from individuals and organizations against the former Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board over gross financial transactions amounting to several millions of naira he took as loans, using the office he occupied. One of such petitions from Jacmoses Global Resources Ltd dated 21/1/2020 is before the Secretary to the State Government and the Ministry of Education. These are acts bothering on gross ethical violations and breach of the code of conduct.
“The Ministry was also greatly dissatisfied with his style of financial management. Several warning letters were sent to him to desist from the practice with little or no success. A particular case in point was when he directed all school principals in the state to pay for his official portrait at the cost of N3,000 each. Even after parting with the said amount, not all schools took custody of the portrait which, in the first instance, was a clear violation of official directives.
“Dr. Uji makes false assertions that he believes in the principles of public accountability but had largely indulged in serious financial discrepancies. Teachers and other workers under the board who retired never got their retirement letters for more than one year until after each retiree was made to pay sums ranging from N5,000 to N10,000, to collect their letters.
“Under his leadership at the TSB, the transfer of teachers was for sale. Any official who wanted to be transferred was made to pay for his/her transfer.
“Another questionable behaviour Dr. Uji exhibited while he served as the Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Board was his unexplained involvement in the financial transactions of the Multipurpose Cooperative Societies among the teachers in the state.
“In all of these, several verbal and written queries were issued to him to no avail. There were several intervention sessions to enable him to change but things got worse. He was therefore asked to resign on 1st April, 2020, to pave way for accountability and competence to return to TSB. His exit is indeed good riddance to bad rubbish.
TEXT OF THE BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, DECLARING STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE ON TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025
Fellow Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.
With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.
Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.
On February 28, 2025, the supreme court, in a judgment in respect of about eight consolidated appeals concerning the political crisis in Rivers State, based on several grave unconstitutional acts and disregard of rule of law that have been committed by the Governor of Rivers State as shown by the evidence before it pronounced in very clear terms:
“a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.”
The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Going Forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected
“are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”
The Supreme Court then made some orders to restore the state to immediate constitutional democracy. These orders include the immediate passing of an Appropriation Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly which up till now has not been facilitated.
Some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now NOT disowned them.
Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together.
Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.
The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.
With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.
In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.
By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.
In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State. For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.
The Administrator will not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.
This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution. It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State by awakening all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
Long live a united, peaceful, secure and democratic Rivers State in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.
The Plateau state government has expressed concern over violence in Shimankar (Menkaat), Shendam Local Government Area, of the State which unfortunately caused unnecessary tension within the community.
In a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon Joyce Lohya Ramnap, made available to journalists in Jos, it condemned in strongest terms and warned such violence would not be tolerated any longer.
The statement called for dialogue to differences and disagreement before it snowballed into violence, adding that government will not allow anyone to undermine peace and unity of the State.
Part of the statement read: “I want to reiterate the Plateau State Government’s unwavering commitment to upholding peace and security for all citizens, especially during such tense moments.”
Acknowledging the swift response of law enforcement agencies and the traditional institutions in containing the situation, we are calling for even greater collaboration between community leaders, security agencies, and the public to prevent further escalation,thus the need to maintain peace, calm and restraint from all parties.
“We urge the people of the community to pursue peaceful resolutions to any disagreements instead of resorting to violence.”
In line with the administration’s “Time is Now” vision under the leadership of Governor Mutfwang, I want to emphasise that the state is focused on ensuring lasting peace and harmony, irrespective of religious or tribal differences.
Government is also assuring the public that security agencies have been instructed to conduct a thorough investigation into the root causes of the skirmishes and to ensure that those responsible for any breach of public peace are held accountable.
Towards this end, Plateau citizens are to remain vigilant yet peaceful and to actively support all efforts to de-escalate the situation as the State Government is committed to fostering a peaceful coexistence for all citizens, the statement further reads.
As protest rocks Benue State against the Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpembese for relocating the Benue Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal from Makurdi to Abuja, Governor Hyacinth Alia has distanced himself from the protest.
Protesters in their hundreds from Benue State took to the streets of Abuja on Monday, for a peaceful protest from the National Assembly to the Supreme Court to express their outrage over the Benue CJ’s decision.
Prior to Monday’s massive protest Justice Ikpembese raised security concerns and moved the Tribunal to Abuja, a development that triggered protest as they are saying the Tribunal would have remained in Makurdi for them to monitor proceedings.
The tribunal is currently handling disputes arising from the Benue State Local Government elections conducted on October 5, 2024.
Reports indicate that 93 petitioners, including aggrieved candidates from both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, have filed cases at the tribunal since October 17, 2024.
The Benue State Government, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, had questioned the CJ’s unilateral decision, noting that neither the governor nor his office had been formally notified.
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