Akure — The Federal Government, yesterday, directed security operatives to arrest any book store owner hoarding or selling any of the 14 million primary education textbooks recently distributed to schools across the country.

Minister of State for Education, Mr. Ezenwo Wike, gave the order in Akure while flagging off the distribution of primary one and two textbooks and library resource materials for Junior Secondary Schools in the South- West.

Over 2.3 million primary education textbooks in core subjects - English language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Basic Science and Technology were distributed to the states in the South-West region of the country.

The minister warned that "on no account must these textbooks find their ways to markets and bookstores. "I implore the security agencies to arrest any person selling these books or hoarding them in strange places.

Flagging off the ceremony, Governor Olusegun Mimiko said that the state was humbled by being chosen for the South-West Zonal flag off of the distribution of the instructional materials.

Mimiko promised that the state will continue to partner the Federal Government to promote the development of basic education.

He said the state had come to the "irreversible conclusion that the provision of quality education must be on the front burner of the re-engineering process to achieve rapid economic and political transformation of our society.