We’ll Not Succumb to Your Takeover Plot – Wilcox Memorial Mgt Challenges Abia Govt
The entire management of the Wilcox Memorial School, Aba has unanimously revolted to the recent ploy of the government of Abia State under the administration of Dr. Alex Otti subtly claim ownership of the school.
The management, amidst grievance, acknowledged the receipt of a letter from the government of Otti with Ref. No. GHA/GD/COS/SM2/4S2, dated December 11, 2024, as addressed to the Proprietress of the school, with the title: ‘Recovery Of Wilcox Memorial School.’
However, this move by Otti’s government did not get down well with the Management of the school as they swiftly debunked the claims of the government in a letter signed by Rev. O. P . Jonah (JP), the Chairman of Igbo Field, and made available to the Media in Umuahia, the state’s capital, today, Thursday, December 19.
The Management stated emphatically that “Wilcox Memorial School was established by the United Evangelical Church (founded as Qua Iboe Church) in the year 1962 and named after our church’s foremost Evangelist in Igbo field, Rev. A. V. Wilcox”.
Responding further, Wilcox management vehemently lampooned the said pronouncements of the Labour Party (LP) government of Otti on the radio, a perceived act of demarketing the renowned institution, adding that “we shall plead with the Abia Government to stop demarketing the school.”
The letter read in detail:
17, December, 2024
The Chief of Staff, Government House, Umuahia,
Abia State.
Sir,
RECOVERY OF WILCOX MEMORIAL SCHOOL
United Evangelical Church, (hereinafter called ‘the Church’) is in receipt of your letter titled as above and dated 11″ day of December, 2024 with Ref. No. GHA/GD/COS/S.2/452 which was addressed to the Proprietor, Wilcox Memorial School. This letter of yours was brought to the attention of the
Church by the Management of Wilcox Comprehensive Secondary School, Ogbor Hill, Aba.
We have gone through the content of the said letter and we are shocked that the Abia State Government could take such extreme decisions without
For the avoidance of doubt, we will want to refresh your memory on the
history of ownership of Wilcox Memorial School (hereinafter called ‘the School’) thus:
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.
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. The East Central State Government changed the name of the School to Comprehensive Secondary School, Ogbor Hill, Aba.
The Church kept agitating for the return of the School from the Government of Abia State and sometime in 2011, the administration of His Excellency, T. A. Orji returned the School to our Church vide 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. A photostat copy of the said letter is herein attached as “Annexure A”.
That sometime in the year 2000 during the administration of His Excellency, 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 reroofed those buildings and the school started declining and its student population plummeted to less than 50 students before the School was handed over to the Church.
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 14% September, 2012. A photostat copy of the said letter as well as the Provisional Certificate of Return are herein attached as “Annexure B” and “Annexure C’”.
That the Church took back its school and is the owner of Wilcox Memorial School and has been running the School since September 14, 2012.
That given the dilapidated nature of the said School and the capital outlay to revamp her School to the standard required by the Church, the Church needed a progressive partner who will totally transform the School to the envy and admiration of people.
The Church as the bonafide owner of the School entered into an agreement with Crystalkleen Integrated Agency Limited to run and administer the school on behalf of the Church.
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.
That the announcement and pronouncement of the Abia State Government on the radio is demarketing the School and we shall plead with the Abia State Government to stop demarketing the School.
Given the ownership status of the School, it was shocking and strange to read the purported decision of the Abia State Government on taking over the management of the School.
Please Sir, TAKE NOTICE that the Abia State Government does not have the legal right to take over the management of the School and we have advised the management of Wilcox memorial School not to comply with the decisions of the Abia State Government as the decisions were made ultra vires the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thanks for your usual cooperation.
Yours truly,
Rev, 0, p, Jonah (JP)
The Chairman, Igbo Field
