Measures are being taken in Benue State to suspend Dr. Grace Adagba, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Just a few days ago, the Benue State House of Assembly passed a motion calling on Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia to suspend the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairman.
Additionally, the Assembly ordered Mr. Denen Aondoakaa, Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to immediately stop releasing monies to the board.
According to the motion, which was made by Hon. Bemdoo Ipusu, Dr. Adagba had refused to testify before an ad hoc committee that the House had established to look into alleged unlawful activity inside SUBEB.
Ipusu notified the House that the chairman had blocked the legislature’s constitutional oversight duties by writing a letter rejecting the legislature’s jurisdiction to look into contracts the board awarded.
Due to her recurrent conflicts with the House, lawmakers who participated in the debate unanimously backed Dr. Adagba’s suspension and voiced their extreme displeasure of her behavior.
The Benue State Assembly and the SUBEB chairman have reportedly battled three times.
Sponsored by Hon. Bemdoo Ipusu, the motion pointed to Dr. Adagba’s nonattendance at an ad hoc committee meeting that examined SUBEB’s operations.
Political analysts point out that the action was taken in the midst of escalating disputes over the hiring of teachers between the executive and legislative.
Although Daily Independent was unable to fully confirm these claims, some media speculate that the conflict may be connected to larger political scheming in the state.
The resolution suspending Adagba, however, is thought to have deviated from the standard legislative procedure.
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Our correspondent was able to obtain a video of the House plenary where the Ad Hoc Committee on State-Wide Contract Verification was established independently. It showed that SUBEB was not initially on the list of agencies to be investigated, which led observers to suspect that the call for her suspension was politically motivated.
This was verified by a committee member who spoke to our correspondent anonymously. “Our original scope did not include SUBEB at all. On Tuesday, August 5, during our sitting, the subject of her suspension unexpectedly came up,” the source stated.
According to the Daily Independent, the issue allegedly started earlier this year when the Assembly halted a SUBEB-run state-wide teacher recruiting program.
According to sources, when contract awards under projects supported by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) became contentious, tensions grew. According to reports, Adagba insisted on proper process and rejected attempts by certain MPs to influence the contracts.
Adagba allegedly wrote to the Assembly committee on August 4th, stating that she was prepared to appear before it if she had at least 30 days to prepare her documentation.
But the very following day, the House voted a resolution suspending her.
In the meantime, analysts are worried that the issue would harm Benue’s ties with UBEC and other donor organizations, which frequently condition assistance on openness and adherence to regulations.
