A headmistress in the Abia State school system has allegedly been demoted and given a punitive transfer for embarrassing the wife of the state governor, Deaconess Nkech Ikpeazu.

Mrs. Maryleen Ezichi, Headmistress of Amaetiti Primary School, Asaga Ohafia, in Ohafia Local Government Area, was said to have embarrassed the Abia First Lady by pleading with her to appeal to her husband to remember primary school teachers and pay them their arrears of salaries and allowances.

Sources at Ohafia toldNews Expressthat Mrs Ikpeazu had gone to the school last week for the launch of her homegrown school feeding programme.

During the interactive session, the headmistress was said to have expressed concern over the difficult times primary teachers who are said to be owed five months arrears of salaries were passing through.

She was said to have pleaded with the First lady to convey their plight to her husband and plead with him to pay teachers their entitlements.

Sources said that two days after the launch, the headmistress was whisked away from her school to Umuahia, where she was handed her posting letter which indicated that she has been transferred to Ukwa East Local Government Area, about 100 kilometers from Ohafia where she hails from. She was said to have been instructed to proceed to the new station immediately.

When contacted, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Abia State Wing, Comrade Chizobem Akparanta, said he was not aware of the development. However, he promised that the union would look into the matter if it is brought to its attention, saying that the union would not allow its members to be humiliated.

Also, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the state Ministry of Education, Chris Ogbuehi, denied any knowledge of the said development and asked that the question be supplied to him in written form to enable him to carry out an investigation into the claim. He was yet to respond as at press time.

However, a colleague of the embattled headmistress who pleaded anonymity said if the government felt embarrassed by the appeal, it should pay the teachers.

“All we are saying is that the government should pay us our entitlements period,” she said.

In January this year, Abia NUT embarked on indefinite strike to protest non-payment of their six months’ salary arrears, leave allowances and implementation of their promotions.

It took weeks after resumption of schools before the union reached agreement with government and resumed classes.