Governor Otti bans school levies, approves monthly allowance for principals

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has banned all forms of payments in primary and secondary schools in the state, marking the enforcement of compulsory school attendance for children of school age.

The governor introduced an imprest account system for school principals and headteachers to manage the running of schools, with specific monthly allowances for their operations.

Otti made this announcement in his New Year speech on Wednesday, stating, “We have stopped all forms of payments in primary and secondary schools. Not even PTA levies should be charged to any parent or guardian in any public school in the state.

“We have introduced an imprest account system for the running of schools. Headteachers and school principals are now entitled to specific sums every month for managing the day-to-day operations of their schools.

“There is, therefore, no excuse to extort or deny any child the opportunities that come with learning and enlightenment. We shall be strict with enforcement and it will be a grievous mistake to test our will.”

The governor also emphasised the state’s commitment to enforcing compulsory attendance for children of school age in schools across Abia.

He added that his administration was set to allocate 35 per cent of the entire budget to interventions in the education and health sectors.

Otti said, “We shall fast-track efforts to remake our schools into centres of excellence in effective teaching and learning.

“As you may know, the law mandating all children of school age to be in school every school day comes into effect today. As soon as the new school term begins later in the month, it will be unlawful to find any child outside the walls of the classroom during school hours.”

The governor also shared his administration’s urgency to build systems, rebuild the state, and realign governance priorities to reflect the true aspirations of the people.

“We have since evolved a system that prioritises the needs of the downtrodden by paying attention, listening carefully and channelling public resources to where they yield the highest social and economic dividends to the majority by taking on very difficult but economically and socially significant projects in road infrastructure development, health and education, waste management and environmental recoveries,” he said.

Governor Otti reiterated the state’s focus on security, warning that his government would not hesitate to deploy its full might against any individual or group posing a threat to the safety of residents.

“We shall also continue to prioritise the security of lives and property, adopting necessary measures to keep criminals and their sponsors out of the state. Again, I would like to restate that we shall not hesitate to deploy the full might of the government against any individual or group whose activities pose a threat to the safety of our people,” he emphasised.

In line with the New Year plans, Otti announced a provision of N18.9bn to support economically vulnerable individuals and families.