By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

The Abia Government says it has constituted a Special Investigative Committee to probe allegations of harassment, extortion and certificate forgery, involving some staff members of the Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu.

The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday, while briefing newsmen at the Government House, Umuahia on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.

Kanu said that the committee was established to ensure the highest academic and ethical standards in state-owned tertiary institutions.

He said that the committee’s terms of reference included identifying the perpetrators of the alleged acts and making appropriate recommendations to the Visitor to the university, Gov. Alex Otti.

He said that the panel would also investigate allegations of bribery and certificate forgery against a lecturer, as well as assess the implementation of the White Paper on the 2024 Visitation Panel to the university.

“The committee is meant to identify any other matters that may be relevant to the ongoing transformation and restoration of the Abia State University as a center of learning and excellence in teaching and research,” the commissioner said.

He named the membership of the committee to include the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Caleb Ajagba (Chairman), Mr Chinedum Ekeke, Prof. Idowu Eluwa, Prof. Lawrence Idemudia and Mr Dodo Okafor, who would serve as the Secretary.

He said that the committee would work closely with the university’s Governing Council.

The commissioner also disclosed that the governor recently paid a courtesy visit to the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Matthew Verghis, in Abuja to strengthen the collaboration between the state and the institution.

He said that their discussions focused on the ongoing partnerships between the State Government and the bank.

According to him, the World Bank also presented its new Country Partnership Framework, covering sectors, such as energy, ICT, small and medium-scale enterprises, agriculture and early childhood development.

Kanu said that the bank urged the state to leverage the new framework to complement the ongoing development initiatives of the present administration.

He further announced the commencement of the 2026 Annual School Census across the state.

He said the exercise would help to generate reliable data for planning, policy formulation and access to the HOPE Education Intervention Grant.

The commissioner also said that the month-long exercise would cover both public and private schools in the three senatorial districts of the state.

He explained that the data gathered would help government identify gaps in staffing, infrastructure and learning materials in public schools and ensure that private schools maintained the approved standard for running a school in Abia.

He also disclosed that the Abia State Agency for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education had established 140 learning centres across the state to provide educational opportunities for adults.

Kanu said that the agency was poised to establish more centers in underserved communities in the state.

He said that the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board recently trained 265 headteachers and 306 Early Childhood Care Development teachers on effective school management practices.

On environmental sanitation, Kanu said that the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) had intensified the enforcement of environmental standards among businesses and industries.

He said that the agency had also commenced full enforcement of the use of waste bins in commercial vehicles to promote cleanliness across the state.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs Blessing Felix, said discussions with the World Bank aligned with the administration’s development vision in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, ICT and education.

Felix said that the state was particularly interested in agricultural value-chain development and agro-logistics projects to support smallholder farmers.

She explained that the government was already implementing projects under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project aimed at improving agro-business infrastructure in the state.

She further said that the government’s investments in digitalisation and free education from Basic One to Junior Secondary School also aligned with the World Bank’s focus on ICT and early childhood development.

The commissioner said that relevant ministries had been directed to continue to engage with the World Bank officials to ensure the state benefitted from the new programmes.

In a remark, the General Manager of ASEPA, Ogbonnia Okereke, said the enforcement of waste bins in commercial vehicles began on April 1 with sensitisation campaigns.

Okereke said that the exercise was aimed at ensuring compliance and curbing indiscriminate waste disposal, rather than revenue generation.

He also disclosed plans by the agency to reintroduce public waste bins in strategic locations across the state to discourage littering of refuse and improve sanitation. (NAN)