Handover Wahala: Imo Principals in Trouble For Allegedly Refusing to Obey Education Commissioner

Handover Wahala:

Imo Principals in Trouble For Allegedly Refusing to Obey Education Commissioner

By Okey Alozie

Secondary School Principals in Imo State who disobeyed the directives of the commissioner for Education (Primary and Secondary) Prof B.T.O Ikeagwuoha are said to be in problem and may likely lose their jobs.

Information available to Trumpeta revealed that the commissioner has set up a panel to investigate the alleged misbehaviour of some principals of secondary schools, but unfortunately many refused to come to the panel as directed.

The panel concluded its investigation and recommend that sanctions should be taken against those that misbehaved .

Moreover, those that were suspended from office refused to go for the suspension. Even when other principals were transferred to take over from them, they refused to hand over as it was gathered that luck ran out of them on Thursday, March 2026, when the commissioner, perm sec and the new Executive Secretary of Secondary Education Management Board, SEMB, Mrs Theresa Okwu stormed some of the schools for on the spot check.

Commissioner Ikeagwuoha after presenting the new Executive Secretary to the students and teachers made pronouncement that those principals who refused to handover have dared the government. He ordered the posted principal to take over without delay and also introduced them to staff and students. The worst hit schools as Trumpeta further gathered include Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School and City Secondary School Owerri, where it was alleged that the Principals blatantly refused to receive the new principals before undertaking the handover processes. Their students as this newspaper gathered were alleged to be instructed to boo the commissioner and his team any time they enter

their schools.

It would be recalled that some principals allegedly extorted money from their students during 2025 WAEC registration in Imo State.

It was reported that the government dirctive was N31,500 but principals took more than that from students. Another information was that a particular principal detained her students because they exposed the extortion of money going on in their school to the honourable commissioner.