Former Principal not cause of Queen’s College deaths ― PTA

THE Chairman of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of Queen’s College, Lagos, Sir John Ofobike, on Monday, described, as misguided, calls by some parents and members of the public for the prosecution of the former Principal of the College, Dr Lami Amodu, in connection with the death of three students.

There were renewed calls for the probe of Amodu at the weekend when it emerged that a third student, identified as Praise Sodipo, had died in a hospital in Lagos. The 14-year-old SS II student who was said to be an orphan and had been on a sickbed for a long time, died weeks after Vivian Osuiniyi and Bithia Itulua, JSS II and JSS III students, respectively, had met the same fate.

Speaking with Tribune Online, however, Ofobike said it was the system that ought to be probed, and not the principal.

“Yes, there is no way the parents would be happy, because lives were lost. No single parent would be happy. I know the principal had enemies and she had friends as well. Calling for her probe would not bring back the dead. What we should be asking instead is: what are those things that cause the problem? Is it infrastructural decay? Is it lack of amenities, or is it lack of maintenance? The principal is a representative of the government; she is not the owner of the college. Apportioning blame would not solve the problem. We need to identify the cause, and address it so that we would not witness any recurrence. The principal in question was in office for a year and some months; but the problem has been there for over ten years

“Why we parents are so much concerned about coming to the aid of the school is that government cannot do it alone; government cannot run the school alone. The essence of forming the PTA is to support the school management, to improve the educational standards of our children.”

When contacted, however, the President of Queen’s College Old Girls Association, Dr Funmi Ajose, declined to comment. “Only the Honourable Commissioner of Health of Lagos State is authorised to comment on this matter,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Pricilla Ihuoma, said a statement would be issued by the Ministry today (Monday).