The state government warned school heads against dodging the ban by moving ceremonies to church venues, saying violators will be summoned and sanctioned.
The Ebonyi State Government has intensified the enforcement of its ban on graduation, valedictory, and prize-giving ceremonies across public and private schools, deploying over 106 surveillance and security personnel to monitor compliance across the state’s 13 Local Government Areas.
Addressing the monitoring team during a briefing in Abakaliki, the State capital, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, Donatus Ilang, charged the officers to enforce the directive without compromise.
He issued a stern warning to defaulting schools, emphasising that any institution found violating the policy would face severe sanctions.
”A kite flying without pitching will be shot without missing,” Ilang warned. “A child that denies the mother sleep will not sleep either.”
The commissioner disclosed that investigations are underway into more than 158 schools reported for allegedly breaching the directive.
He added that principals, headteachers, and proprietors who fail to refund graduation levies illegally collected from parents will soon face severe disciplinary measures.
Ilang urged the surveillance personnel to discharge their duties diligently, assuring them that necessary logistical support would be released promptly.
He also charged the team to maintain unity and utilise the ministry’s dedicated hotlines for real-time reporting.
Furthermore, the commissioner emphasised that only ministry-appointed officers and designated security personnel briefed for this operation are authorised to enforce the policy.
He cautioned school administrators against circumventing the ban by hosting graduation events on church premises, warning that offending institutions will be summoned and penalised.
