Benin City – Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has approved the payment of over N17 million owed to executive principals of senior secondary schools for uniform debt incurred under the previous administration. The approval follows a delegation of executive principals from selected government schools who visited the Senior Secondary Education Board (SSEB) to plead for reimbursement of the outstanding sum.
The committee, led by Onaifo Osemwengie, Executive Principal of Egor Senior Secondary School, explained the debt stemmed from actions of a former consultant to the Ministry of Education, Chinelo Ezeobi, who established a uniform committee on directives from ex-Education Commissioner Dr. Joan Oviawe. The committee was later dissolved with the N17 million plus remaining unpaid to the principals.
Executive Chairman of SSEB, Dr. Maureen Ekhoragbon, expressed appreciation for the patience exhibited by the executive principals. “We thank the Executive Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, for approving the sum. He is a leader who embodies excellence, transparency, and accountability,” Dr. Ekhoragbon said.
The executive principals in turn thanked Dr. Ekhoragbon for conveying their plight to Governor Okpebholo and securing the approval for refund. “We appreciate the chairman for listening to our situation,” they said collectively, expressing relief over the resolution of the longstanding debt issue.
Governor Okpebholo’s action underscores his administration’s commitment addressing outstanding obligations and fostering transparency in governance, observers noted. The refund brings succor to the affected school principals who had long awaited settlement of the sum tied to uniform procurement under previous state education ministry directives.
