Governor suspends Perm Sec for stopping prayer in schools

Senator Ben Ayade

Cross River Governor Ben Ayade has suspended the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Mrs. Anne Odey for banning devotion in schools in the state.

Odey had written, last week, to all private and public schools at primary and secondary levels across the state, suspending morning and afternoon devotions.

The directive was said to have emanated from the Commissioner for Police in view of security challenges facing the nation.

But the Security Adviser to Ayade, Jude Ngaji, told reporters in Calabar yesterday that the Governor was not aware of such directive.

He added the Permanent Secretary didn’t pass such the directive through the governor.

Ngaji said Ayade has directed immediate and indefinite suspension of the Permanent Secretary.

The ban on devotions, he added, has also been lifted immediately.

According to the Security Adviser: “It is true that police got intelligence information that Boko Haram were planning to bomb schools during morning devotion and therefore directed authorities in Ministry of Education to act  fast.

“But the Permanent Secretary did not bother to revert to the governor or call for stakeholders’ meeting to that effect.

”So, the governor feels pained that she got such sensitive information without seeking for his advice and rather went ahead to issue a directive suspending morning devotions in private and public schools.

”In the light of the above, the governor has directed that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Anne Odey, be suspended forthwith while the ban has been lifted immediately as there is no instruction to that effect from the governor’s office.”