The Benue State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing doubt about the competence of the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, and has called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to immediately suspend her for six months.
NewsQuest reports that this is the second time the SUBEB chief executive, has come under intense scrutiny and criticism before the Lawmakers.
The Lawmakers in December 2024 ordered Dr. Adagba to step aside to allow an investigation into alleged misconduct,
recruitment racketeering of primary school teachers, and mismanagement of funds totaling over N2 billion received from the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hyacinth Dajoh, announced a six-month suspension for the SUBEB chairman, Dr. Adagba, following a vote of 21 in favour and five against the motion in 2024.
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Terver Zamber in a statement on Tuesday said the Lawmakers passed a resolution once again, insisting on her suspension.
“The House also directed the Special Adviser, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Denen Aondoakaa to stop the release of funds to the board,” Zamber stressed.
According to the statement, the mover of the motion, Honourable Bemdoo Ipusu informed the house that the Chairman had refused to honour the adhoc committee constituted by the house to investigate her illegal activities at the board.
Honourable Ipusu, explained that the SUBEB chairman has written to the House, claiming it has no right to investigate contracts from the board, and accused the chairman of deliberately obstructing the House from exercising its constitutional oversight mandate.
“Contributing, members expressed strong displeasure over the SUBEB Chairman’s behavior and urged the House to recommend her immediate suspension,” the statement added.
Our correspondent gathered that a major issue fueling the crisis between the SUBEB chairman and the State House of Assembly is the lawmakers’ alleged demand for 1,000 recruitment slots for their constituents.
A senior official at the board who prefers anonymity confirmed that the SUBEB chairman Dr. Adagba had variously declined to allocate any slots for recruitment to the Lawmakers, insisting to stick to the board’s commitment to merit-based recruitment.
“This is the crux of her problem. Madam is not ready to shift grounds on this and the Lawmakers are not taking it lightly,” the official said.
