Why Prof Ojerinde, others were sacked

The Federal Government has sacked the Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde and 16 other chief executive officers in Ministry of Education that were appointed during former President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

 In the statement signed by the Deputy Director (Press), of the ministry, Mr. Benjamin Bem Goong, in Abuja announcing the sack, the government gave no reason for the action. Professor Dibu Ojerinde, JAMB Registrar Ojerinde whose tenure was suppose to end April 2017, might have been sacked over the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, irregularities from bordering on result multiplicity, centre relocation and system failure. ‎Many people protested that the irregularities of the exercise underscored their their gaining admission this year, that the board was unprepared for the CBT it adopted three years ago.

‎N‎ot only were the 17 CEOS sacked by the Federal Government, they were immediately replaced. The appointments were for: the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed;  Nigerian Institute For Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) Prof. Mrs. Lilian Salami; Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), Dr. Hameed Bobboyi; National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Prof. Lanre O. Aina; and National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Charles Uwakwe.

Others were: National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult And Non-Formal Education (NCMLA&NE) , Prof. Abba Haladu; Nomadic Education Commission (NEC). Prof. Bashir H. Usman; National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Sunday Josiah Ajiboye; Computer Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Afolabi N. Aderinto; National Commission For Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Bappah Aliyu; and Tertiary Education Tax Fund (TETFund), Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa. The rest were: National Teachers Institute (NTI), Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare; Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN), Prof. Michael Afolabi; National Mathematical Centre, Sheda (NMC), Prof. Steven Ejugwu Onah; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Olarenwaju Oloyode; and National Institute of Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Prof. Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche.

The following four Chief Executive Officers retained their positions. They are:  Prof Samaila Junaidu of Nigeria Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC);  Prof Raauf Adebisi, Nigerian French Language Village Badagry, (NFLV); Dr Mas’ud A. Kazaure , National Board For Technical Education (NBTE) ; and 

Prof Muhammad Mu’az of the National Arabic Language Village, Maiduguri, Borno State (NALV).