Cehraws

CEHRAWS Slams ASUBEB Over FSLC Age Discrepancy, Cites ‘Selective Enforcement’ in Teacher’s Retirement Case

By Richard Agwu

The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) has accused the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB) of selective enforcement and administrative injustice over the retirement of Mrs. Nwokocha Esther U., an Assistant Chief Education Officer in Aba South LGEA.

In a press statement issued on May 18, 2026, CEHRAWS Executive Director Okoye Chuka Peter said the Board’s justification for forcing Mrs. Nwokocha into retirement—allegedly based on an age discrepancy in her First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC)—is “legally weak, administratively defective, and fundamentally unconvincing.”

According to CEHRAWS, ASUBEB claims Mrs. Nwokocha obtained her FSLC at age 11, which it now considers grounds for premature retirement before the statutory age of 60. The group argued the explanation fails to address key issues: an alleged acknowledgment by Aba South LGEA that the retirement was erroneous, her subsequent redeployment, and the continued withholding of her salaries and entitlements while she remained in service.

“This omission raises serious concerns regarding transparency, administrative consistency, accountability, and possible institutional victimization,” the statement read.

CEHRAWS described the case as “a clear case of selective application of standards,” alleging that other serving and retired officers with similar or more questionable educational records have not faced retirement or sanctions.

“If indeed ASUBEB now considers FSLC age discrepancies a valid ground for compulsory retirement, then fairness, equity, and constitutional principles of equal treatment demand that such standards be uniformly applied across board and not selectively weaponized against one individual,” Okoye said.

The group also highlighted what it called a breach of legitimate expectation. It noted that Mrs. Nwokocha’s credentials were accepted at recruitment, passed verification exercises, earned her promotions, and were used to process salaries and entitlements for years.

“Administrative law and the doctrine of legitimate expectation strongly frown upon a situation where government institutions rely upon, validate, and benefit from an employee’s records for decades, only to suddenly repudiate those same records at the twilight of service without any proven allegation of fraud, falsification, or criminal intent,” CEHRAWS stated.

The organisation warned that allowing the precedent to stand could expose thousands of civil servants across Nigeria to “arbitrary retirement, selective targeting, retrospective punishment, and institutional intimidation.”

The group urged the Abia State Government to review the circumstances of Mrs. Nwokocha’s retirement and ensure due process prevails. It also called on the Head of Service and ASUBEB to clarify whether a policy mandating retirement over FSLC age discrepancies exists, whether it has been uniformly applied, and why her salaries remain unpaid despite her redeployment.

CEHRAWS further asked anti-corruption and public service oversight agencies to investigate allegations of selective enforcement, abuse of administrative powers, and wrongful withholding of entitlements.

“This matter transcends one individual. It raises broader concerns regarding fairness, integrity, accountability, consistency, and respect for the rule of law within public service administration in Abia State,” the statement concluded.

CEHRAWS said it would continue to monitor the case and pursue “all lawful advocacy, institutional, and legal measures necessary to ensure that justice is neither compromised nor selectively administered.”

Rights Group Accuses ASUBEB Officials Of Starving Teacher Of Salary For 8 Months After Admitting Her Retirement Was An Error, Begs Otti To Intervene

Rights Group Accuses ASUBEB Officials Of Starving Teacher Of Salary For 8 Months After Admitting Her Retirement Was An Error, Begs Otti To Intervene - National Concord Human rights group CEHRAWS has called on Governor Alex Otti to intervene in the case of Mrs. Nwokocha Esther Ucheya, an Abia State teacher whose salary has been withheld since September 2025 after she was wrongly listed for retirement by ASUBEB officials who have refused to correct the error.