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Chief Patrick Ukah, Commissioner for basic and Secondary Education,Delta state.

Orhuwhorun High School, Orhuwhorun, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, have been given one season ban for fielding ineligible players in the ongoing 2019/2020 Zenith Bank Delta Principals’ Cup Football Competition.

The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chief Patrick Ukah, who approved the recommendations of a committee set up to look into a petition written by Destiny Secondary School, Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area, said the sanction is to act as deterrent to any school who may want to perpetuate illegality during the competition.

He also directed that the Principal of the school be given a query to explain what led to the development.

During a Zone D preliminary match played between the two schools at Irri Grammar School, Irri, on Friday, October 18, 2019, Destiny Secondary School, who lost the encounter, 4-5 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time, accused the winners of featuring ineligible players.

Following this development, a committee was set up to look into the matter and officials of the two schools were invited to appear before the committee.

During the exercise, it was revealed that the winners fielded two players namely Omoteregha Meru and Jemuo Samuel, who were not verified and whose names were not in the school registration form as verified and certified by the Technical and Venue Committee of the championship thereby contravening sections of the rules and regulations of the competition.

The committee noted that the action of Orhuwhorun High School amounted to the use of mercenaries during the match. The committee therefore nullified the result of the match and awarded the encounter to Destiny Secondary School, Ughelli.
Chief Ukah disclosed that the ministry has zero tolerance for cheating among pupils and students and assured that the screening of players will continued till the end of the competition.