The Owners of Wilcox Memorial School, Aba, (The United Evangelical Church), says the decision by the Abia State Government to take over the school management and administration is strange and shocking.
The United Evangelical Church who are the real owners of the school, stated that the announcement and pronouncement of the Abia State Government in the media is demarketing to the school, urging the State Government to stop demarketing the school that is now the envy of many people in Aba and far beyond.
In a reply to a letter by the Abia State Government, signed by Rev. O.P Jonah, the Chairman, Igbo Field, the owners faulted the State Government for not giving the school fair hearing before resorting to engaging in acts that demarket the school.
He said, “Wilcox Memorial School was established by the United Evangelical Church (founded as Qua Iboe Church) in 1962 and named after our Church’s foremost Missionary Evangelist in Igbo Field, Rev. A. V. Wilcox.
Rev. Jonah revealed that immediately after the Nigerian Civil War in the 1970s, the Military Government of East Central State unlawfully and forcefully took over the school without paying any compensation to the Church, adding that the East Central State Government changed the name of the School to Comprehensive Secondary School, Ogbor Hill, Aba.
He informed that after the takeover, the church agitated for the return of the School from the Government of Abia State, pointing out that in 2011, the administration of former Governor, Theodore Orji, returned the School to their Church via an instrument from the Office of the Secretary To Abia State Government dated June 13, 2011 with reference SSG/ABS/S.239/Vol.1/9 and titled “Hand Over Of Some Schools To Their Original Owners”.
Rev. Jonah recalled that in 2000, during the administration of Orji Uzor Kalu, a person who presented himself as a contractor to renovate the School came and deroofed more than 70% of the buildings, carted away the deroofed materials and never re-roofed those buildings, stressing that it was at this point that the school began to decline while the student population reduced to less than 50 before the School was handed over to the Church.
In the letter, Rev. Jonah stated that the Church took back Wilcox Memorial School and has been running it since September 14, 2012, adding that given the dilapidated nature of the School and the capital outlay, the church took it upon itself to revamp it to the standard she required.
“The Government of Abia State through the Ministry of Education in a letter dated August 29, 2012 with Ref. No. MOE/S.293/1/290 and titled “HANDOVER OF SCHOOLS TO ORIGINAL OWNERS’ formally handed over the School to the Church on Friday September 14, 2012 and issued a Provisional Certificate of Return to our Church wherein Wilcox Comprehensive Secondary School, Ogbor Hill, Aba was returned to United Evangelical Church with effect from 14th September, 2012. A copy of the said letter as well as the Provisional Certificate of Return are herein attached as “Annexure B” and “Annexure C”.
On partnership with Crystalkleen Integrated Agency Limited, Rev. Jonah said in a bid to renovate the school to the admiration of people due to its current dilapidation as at the time, the Church, as the bonafide owner, entered into an agreement with Crystalkleen Integrated Agency Limited to run and administer the school on behalf of the Church, adding that Crystalkleen Integrated Agency Limited has invested over N500,000,000.00 (five hundred million Naira) in transforming the School to the full satisfaction of the Church as one of the best private schools in Aba.
Rev. Jonah noted that giving the ownership status of the school by the Church, Abia State Government does not have the legal right to take over the management of the School, advising the management of Wilcox Memorial School not to comply with the decisions of the Abia State Government as the decisions were made Ultra Vires by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
