I don’t want to be remembered for my many fights — Obaseki

By Nwanosike Onu, Awka

• Ex-Commonwealth Secretary-General tasks Fed Govt on arrest, prosecution

A former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has urged the Federal Government to tackle the increasing cases of killing across the country.

He said the killings had persisted because authorities had neither arrested nor prosecuted the perpetrators of the crime.

Anyaoku spoke at Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State during this year’s summit and award ceremony of Merchants of Light School’s Old Boys’ Association Worldwide with the theme: Alumni Engagement in the Management and Improvement of their Alma Mater.

The former Secretary-General urged the government to deploy military 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 perpetuating 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 urged the Federal Government to put more resources into the education sector to meet the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommendation of 26 percentage.

He added: “The 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.”

Proposing an endowment fund for educational institutions across the country, Anyaoku, an alumnus of the Merchant of Light School and chairman of the occasion, noted that the fund would enable the alumni association to support the school.

“In many institutions in foreign countries, the schools’ endowment funds 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 said.

President of the alumni association, Prof. Tony Nwokoye, said the summit not only served as homecoming for the school’s old boys but also gave them the opportunity to take stock of developments in the school and determine possible areas of intervention. (Nation)