Former Secretary General, Common Wealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has called on federal government to devote more efforts in tackling increasing insecurity and cases of killings across the country.
He said the ugly trend had continued unabated due to lack of arrests and subsequent prosecution of perpetrators of the dastardly acts.
Anyaoku spoke in Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State during the 2024 Summit and Award ceremony of Merchants of Light School, Old Boys Association Worldwide themed, ‘Alumni Engagement in the Management and Improvement of their Alma Mater’
He called on government to deploy its forces to apprehend and punish those behind the killings to serve as deterrent to others.
He said, “The federal government should devote efforts to find those responsible for these killings.
“What’s particularly depressing is that these killings occur and nobody seems to be held responsible and charged accordingly.
“The first thing government should do is to deploy its agencies and forces to apprehend those pepetuating the killings because that’s the only way to address the problem.
“If they’re apprehended, prosecuted and punished, that would serve as deterrent to others to continue the killings.”
Anyaoku also charged federal government to work harder to meet up with the UNESCO recommendation of 26 percentage for education.
He added, “Federal government isn’t doing enough for the education sector. The percentage of education in the budget is well below the UNESCO recommendation.
“I like to see the government work harder to meet up with the UNESCO recommendation of 26 percentage.”
While proposing for endowment fund for educational institutions across the country, Anyaoku, an alumnus of the Merchant of Light School, said the fund would provide the alumni association opportunity to support the school.
“In many institutions in foreign countries, the school’s endowment fund are the main source of financial support for the institutions.
“Hence, in proposing the endowment fund for Merchant of Light school, I hope the alumni will willingly and regularly donate to support development of structures and facilities in the school,” he stressed.
Earlier, President of the Alumni association, Prof Tony Nwokoye said the summit not only served as homecoming for Old Boys of the school but also afforded them opportunity to take stock of developments in the school and determine possible areas of intervention.
He identified some of the areas that needed attention in the school as, befitting modern main gate, rehabilitation of Vice Principal’s quarters, repair and refurbishing of two grounded buses of the school, reconstruction of more dormitories, among others.
“The idea of the endowment fund stems from the Old Boys vision to go beyond sporadic intervention in the school, to have solid partnership with the state government in the overall development and management of the school.
“Occasional interventions in the past, have not yielded the desired results nor taken the school to the level we think is appropriate given her age, peers and antecedents, including being one of the very few Higher School Certificate Institutions in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria.
“As a means of achieving a well-coordinated development of the school, we have presented a properly designed master plan for the school.
“The idea is that individual Old Boys, groups or class sets who wish to undertake projects in the school can liaise with the worldwide body of the Old Boys Association and the school principal to choose from the prioritized areas of needs,” he said.
One of the alumni, Obiora Anyaoku described the success of the summit as sign of greater things in the future.
“The task of 5years frame with comprehensive master plan we set for ourselves is achievable, especially towards addressing the dilapidation and decay that has become the lot of the school,” he added.
In their separate remarks, the regent of Oba, Prince Noel Ezenwa and President General of Oba Patriotic Union, Chief Uzo Ejiofor, commended the initiative by the Old Boys, promising support of Oba community to the ongoing efforts to create better learning environment for younger generation of students.
