Two functionaries of the Benue State Government, the Commissioner of Education and Knowledge Management, Rev. Frederick Ikyaan and the Director General (DG) Bureau for Education Quality Assurance (BEQA), Dr Terna Francis are currently enmeshed in war of words over who collects revenue in the State Ministry of Education.
Our correspondent reports that the long-standing conflict over roles and authority between the duo intensified on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, when both institutions issued strongly worded directives to school administrators and stakeholders concerning their revenue remittance with each of the aides insisting it is their right to collect revenue on behalf of the government.
The recent altercation followed a directive from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Helen Nambativ Zeramo, cautioning schools against remitting revenues to BEQA and resisting attempts by BEQA officials to confiscate government-approved school records.
Zeramo, in the letter to education stakeholders in the state, titled “Strong Directive” categorically told them not to conduct any financial transaction with the Bureau.
She also directed the stakeholders to resist every attempt by BEQA staff to confiscate the Federal and Benue State Government approved school records.
The letter read: “I have been directed by the Honourable Commissioner to cautiously inform you that the Ministry of Education has at no time mandated BEQA to collect her revenue. That henceforth, you are strongly cautioned not to transact financial deals with BEQA. You are to resist every attempt by BEQA staff to confiscate the Federal and Benue State Government approved school records.”
In a swift response to the ministry’s letter, the DG, BEQA, Dr Terna Francis, stated categorically that the Bureau is not under the Ministry Education and Knowledge Management.
Francis in his letter titled “Re: Strong Directive” said the Bureau was established by the Governor Hyacinth Alia through Executive Order issued on 8th December 2023, published and gazetted in the same year.
He said according to the order, existing Quality Assurance Departments/Directorates under the Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management, along with other Departments performing quality assurance functions within the Benue State Education Sector, shall be merged into BEQA, which will continue to carry out its functions.
Francis said the order also empowered BEQA to produce and circulate all school records and guidelines, adding that his directive was in line with the Executive Order.
“It is essential to understand that when a Governor makes a public pronouncement or issues an executive order, public servants and all responsible are expected to comply without challenge.
“Executive orders are official documents and laws that outline the policies, procedures, or actions the Governor wishes to implement. Challenging or attempting to alter an executive order can lead to serious consequences,” he said.
He maintained that the agency was fully empowered to oversee quality assurance functions in the state and as such the Ministry of Education no longer has jurisdiction over quality assurance, as all relevant departments had been merged into BEQA just as he dismissed the Ministry’s claim over certain revenues, stating that the funds in question had been officially allocated to BEQA in the 2025 state budget.
He warned education officers against interfering with BEQA’s financial processes, stating, “It is, therefore, an advertisement of ignorance at the highest level for anyone to imagine, without even participating in the budget process or seeking to understand fiscal responsibility, that the acclaimed revenues are a birthright of the Ministry of Education who no longer exercises the function (Quality Assurance) tied to the revenue.”
The BEQA boss also defended the agency’s authority over school records, stating that the agency was mandated to produce and distribute all official school records and guidelines even as he accused some Ministry officials of exploiting their previous control over school records for personal financial gain, alleging that they had profited from selling substandard materials to schools.
On the contentious issue of school accreditation and examination clearances, Francis reaffirmed that BEQA, not the Ministry, is responsible for issuing approvals for external exams such as NECO and WAEC, arguing that BEQA had already implemented reforms to curb examination malpractice and eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He further emphasized that BEQA operates directly under the Governor’s Office and takes directives only from the state’s executive leadership, warning that any attempts to challenge the agency’s authority were tantamount to disregarding the Governor’s mandate.
