CurrentReport Blog Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has vowed to take decisive action against officials of the Nasarawa State Teachers’ Service Commission (NSTSC) involved in an alleged employment scam, which saw hundreds of teachers recruited unlawfully. The Governor made this pledge after receiving the findings of a committee investigating the irregularities in the recent teacher recruitment process.
In a statement issued Thursday at the Government House, Sule expressed deep concern over the extent of corruption uncovered, particularly the extortion of money from job seekers. He stated that officials who were found to have collected bribes for appointment letters must face legal consequences.
“I do not have the power to handle this myself,” Sule remarked. “The security agencies should be involved to ensure that those who exploited innocent job seekers are held accountable, and the affected individuals are refunded their money.”
The investigative report revealed a significant violation of recruitment protocols, with 3,277 teachers being recruited, far beyond the approved limit of 1,000. The Governor raised concerns about the financial burden of accommodating, paying, and posting these excess teachers, especially since the recruitment process lacked merit-based selection.
“Recruiting 3,277 teachers is a huge challenge for the state. How will we pay them? Where will they be posted?” Sule questioned. “The most troubling part is that this recruitment did not follow merit, leading to the employment of unqualified individuals.”
Governor Sule warned that such unethical practices could jeopardize the educational standards of the state, which his administration has been striving to improve. He called for the public’s understanding as the government reviews the cases of the 2,277 unapproved recruits and hinted at the possibility of conducting a fresh selection process to ensure only qualified candidates are employed.
Chairman of the investigative committee, Silas Dachor, noted that the recruitment exercise was far from fulfilling the state’s educational needs. “The recruitment was a ‘racketeering venture’ where desperate job seekers were forced to pay for employment, turning the process into a cash-for-jobs scheme,” Dachor said.
The committee’s findings and recommendations have called for swift action from the state government to restore integrity to the educational system. Governor Sule has vowed to ensure that all implicated officials are handed over to security agencies for further investigation and prosecution.
As the state government continues to address the fallout from the scandal, the public awaits the next steps in what promises to be a major overhaul of the recruitment process for teachers in Nasarawa State.
