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By Madu Obi
A concerned citizen, Pat Chukwuemeka, has called on the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, the president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, former Monster, Oby Ezekwesili and Retired Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma to intervene against the planned disruption of the West African School Certificate Examinations, WASCE, by members the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Others called upon to intervene to save the future of Igbo children include the senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka of the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, renowned author, Chimamanda Adichie and South East traditional rulers
According to Chukwuemeka, the WASSCE examination for Mathematics, which is a compulsory subject, will take place on 30th May, lamenting that hundreds of thousands of South East children taking the WASSCE examinations will likely not sit for the subject on account of the lockdown in the South East declared by IPOB for that same day.
Chukwuemeka said: "WASCE is organized by the West African Examination Council (a multi-nation examination body), which is not under the purview of Nigeria and is therefore not obliged to either postpone or cancel the examination because of any purported lockdown in any part of its member nations.
"What this means is that even if our children score A1 in all other subjects, their results will not be complete without Mathematics, thus rendering them incapable of proceeding further in their education.
Is that the kind of future we want for our children? Must we sacrifice the well-being of our children because of whatever event we want to commemorate? For how long shall we bury our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich while our house is on fire?
Why are we always quick to point out wrongs in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, etc while we play deaf and dumb to the clear and present danger that is evident in our homestead?
Will heaven fall if we man up and condemn this plague that has been wreaking economic havoc in our region?"
"It is time to end this despicable hypocrisy and speak up with one voice to end this reign of terror. Politics, they say, is local. You can't abandon your burning house and be helping your neighbour to pursue a rat in his barn.
The time to act is now and not tomorrow. It will be tragic to witness another bloodshed on May 30, like that of Prof Dora Akunyili's husband or like the Bishop that was killed some time ago for insisting on his students taking their exams in defiance of an IPOB lockdown.
We're meant to understand that Boko Haram means NO to western education. Is the biafran agitation now all about NO to western education as well?
Why can't our children's education be exempted from whatever you want to commemorate? I don't understand where we're going with this retrogressive mindset, but it is not the best for us, our children and our region"
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