A rights group, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has threatened to sue the Federal Government over what it described as breach of the provision of Section 8 (1) (c) of the TETFUND Establishment Act in the appointment of the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
The group at press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the duo of Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, National Coordinator and Comrade Igwe Ude-umanta, National Secretary, also raised alarm over threats to lives of their members by cronies of the TETFund boss.
Insisting on its resolve to seek legal redress, the group explained that the decision follows the failure of the Federal Government to act on allegations of corruption, gross breach of procurement Act, contract racketeering, nepotism, ineptitude among other disturbing offences against the establishment.
“It has become imperative for us to address the media again, just six days after our earlier Press Conference… The reason for this is that Echono and members of his alleged nest of corruption has resorted to all sorts of mudslinging, blackmail and sponsorship of faceless persons and Idoma local groups to attack and threaten us.
“This shameful resort to reducing a national issue to an Idoma ethnic discourse only proves our allegation of bare nepotism. And we must make it clear to Arc. Echono that we have been around for a long time, and have addressed national issues with objectivity and forthrightness. We cannot be cowed by anybody. These bunch of riff raffs running around the social media and placing futile phone calls should better get prepared because the struggle has even increased in tempo.
“In addition to our proposed mass protests and direct letter of demand to Mr. President, we have equally briefed our lawyers to commence legal proceedings against the Federal Government for breaching the provision of Section 8 (1) (c) of the TETFUND Establishment Act in the appointment of Echono.
“This section provides that a person qualified to be appointed as Executive Secretary of TETFUND “shall be a person with good knowledge and cognate academic and administrative experience in Tertiary Education”. The emphasis here is “academic experience” as opposed to being educated or acquiring degrees.
“Those who smuggled in Echono into office as Executive Secretary of TETFUND only succeeded in confusing Former President, Muhammadu Buhari that Echono’s experience as a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education qualifies him as possessing “cognate academic experience.” A permanent Secretary is a pure administrator who can be deployed to any Ministry. Having the opportunity to “serve in the Ministry of Education does not turn a bureaucrat into a teacher, researcher of a member of what we know as the academia. So in addition to other dimensions of our struggle, we are also approaching the court to ensure that this kind of abnormally does not reoccur. Our laws must be operated according to their intents or their spirit and letters.
“You can all rest assured that the struggle is well and alive. We wish to urge the media and public to discount the rantings of some errand boys and local boys who wish to join issues in matters that even the culprit has tried in vain to explain himself. We are focused and we are already getting positive answers because the questions we are asking are the right questions and our demand is very legitimate, popular and right.
“The implication of this legal angle is that Arc. Echono was unqualified ab initio to have been appointed Executive Secretary of TETFUND. His activities are therefore deemed illegal, null and void. And notwithstanding the court action, our protest against the unresolved cases of corruption and breach of the Procurement Act, stands”, the group maintained.
