Niger State Commissioner Of Education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu has ordered for the immediate suspension of Ndatsu Yahaya, the Principal of Government Day Secondary School Saminaka, Lapai LGA, for embezzlement of the Students’ WAEC fees.

The Students were due to sit for the ongoing Senior Secondary School Examinations (SSCE)The Commissioner gave the directives during an interface with the concerned parents and some community members following an outcry by the parents.The Principal, yesterday, at the point of being found out, and under pressure from the community, ran to the Ministry to confess his misdeeds. He appealed for the Ministry’s intervention to enable the students write the examination.

The Principal, who claimed to have been swindled, had attempted to ‘invest’ the money in a dubious venture instead of remitting the funds to the WAEC authority.The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abdullahi Usman Imam, who represented the Commissioner during the interface, expressed dismay at the attitude of the Principal and ordered for his immediate suspension and deployment as a classroom teacher in a school where he would be monitored pending a thorough investigation to serve as deterrent to others.

He also ordered a disciplinary action according to the laid down civil service regulations or any other laws that may apply.He said the Ministry will not condone such ungodly attitude by any Principal and ordered that the Principal will from now be receiving half of his Salary until he has paid off the money he embezzled.Abdullahi Usman Imam said that it is unfortunate that the Students have missed out on the 2023 SSCE but assured that the Ministry will make sure they write the next WAEC external and NECO internal Examinations, assuring that all the monies collected by the principal would be refunded to the parents.

He however appealed to the parents and the community to toe the path of peace and also talk to their children to be calm as the Ministry is doing everything possible to make sure the school, which was only recently accredited for external examinations, did not lose such status as a result of the unfortunate incidence.