Parents, community members and concerned stakeholders has staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Technical College (FTC), Amuzu, in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, calling on the Federal Government to investigate allegations of corruption, poor student welfare, examination malpractice and nepotism against the school's principal, Mr. John Uche.
The protesters, who carried placards with inscriptions such as "Principal Uche John, the Minister of Education is not a liar, you are the liar," "Principal Mr. Uche John, stop starving our students," "Stop swapping students' scores in FTC Amuzu," and "Stop condoning lesbianism and criminality in FTC Amuzu," urged the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene and restore confidence in the institution.
Speaking during the protest, Mr. Amaechi Aloh, a civil servant and Deputy Director in the Ebonyi State Civil Service, alleged that the learning environment in the college had deteriorated due to poor sanitation, bedbug infestation and inadequate welfare for students.
"The school is now characterized by dirtiness, bed bugs and an unhealthy environment. The Federal Government should investigate what is happening in the school and find out why the institution, which was established to train students, has allegedly become a place where they are being starved," he said.
Aloh further alleged that the management had failed to utilize funds meant for students' feeding appropriately.
"The allocation from the Federal government is the same as what other federal technical colleges receive. If the funds are properly managed, the students should enjoy quality feeding and good nutrition. I believe the poor welfare is a result of mismanagement," he alleged.
Another protester and parent, Mr. Wilfred Nwiboko, accused the school management of manipulating students' examination scores and showing favouritism in selecting candidates for academic competitions.
According to him, a student who excelled at a state-level competition and won a prize was allegedly dropped ahead of the national finals despite outstanding academic performance.
"The student who qualified and won the state competition was preparing for the national stage, but to our greatest surprise, he was replaced. The principal's son eventually represented the school at the national competition in Lagos and failed. Such actions discourage merit and excellence," Nwiboko alleged.
He appealed to the Federal Government to investigate the alleged irregularities and ensure that deserving students are given equal opportunities.
Nwiboko also expressed concern over what he described as the management's alleged failure to address misconduct involving some students, saying such inaction was tarnishing the image of the institution.
Also speaking, Amira Ndidi Odo said the protest became necessary to draw the attention of the Federal government and relevant agencies to what he described as persistent administrative irregularities in the school.
He alleged that despite the Federal government's implementation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, students of FTC Amuzu were yet to benefit from the initiative.
"Our complaint is that the principal keeps telling parents that the TVET programme and funding announced by the Minister of Education are mere propaganda and that no money has been released.
"However, we have information that other federal technical colleges are implementing the programme. We are calling on the government to investigate and correct these abnormalities," he said.
The protesters appealed to the Federal Ministry of Education to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations, including claims of financial mismanagement, poor feeding, examination score manipulation, favouritism and the implementation of the TVET programme.
As of the time of filing this report, the management of the Federal Technical College, Amuzu, had not responded to the allegations. Efforts to obtain comments from the principal, Mr. John Uche, were unsuccessful even after several telephone calls and a text message.
Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Education had yet to issue an official statement on the protest.
