The Nasarawa State Government has concluded arrangements to settle the accounts of no fewer than 4,000 embattled teachers who were employed without due approval, marking a significant step towards resolving the crisis surrounding their recruitment.

Dr John Mamman, Commissioner for Education, disclosed this on Monday in Lafia, the state capital, during a ministerial briefing organised by Dr Ibrahim Tanko, Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, to enable government officials to showcase their achievements.

He explained that the problem of the affected persons began when the dismissed management of Nasarawa State Teachers Service Commission (NSTSC) increased the actual recruitment figure of 1,000 teachers approved by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
He, however, maintained that numerous revelations had been made, and the issue concerning the involvement of each of the sacked management was ongoing to unravel their role in the scandal for further action.

He maintained that the government identified four categories of problems associated with the affected persons and subsequently cancelled the entire exercise.

His words, “We discovered that some were posted and had worked for some months, and others were posted and reported but did not work, and others were posted but refused to report, and the records of the last group could not be found anywhere.

“To address the issue, the governor has approved the recruitment of 1,500 persons to fill the vacancies that exist as a result of retirement, transfer of service and death, among others.

“We gave a fresh opportunity to the 4000 wrongly employed to participate, but only 781 were found qualified and were subsequently employed by the consulting firm handling the recruitment exercise.

“We have opened the portal to commence the process for the recruitment of more people to complete the 1.500 teacher slots approved by the governor.”
He further explained that the government had resolved to pay those who had worked for some months for that period, while those who had only reported to their stations would receive N100,000 each.

Mamman noted that the government’s efforts to address the situation demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability in the recruitment process, aiming for optimal performance to ensure a higher standard of education in the state.

The commissioner further explained that education is the top priority of the Governor Sule-led administration, which is why it has been allocated the highest amount in the state’s budget since the administration’s inception in 2019.

He, therefore, pledged that the government would construct more structures and equip them at all levels of education and engage in massive training and restraining of manpower for the overall development of the sector.

Earlier, Tanko, Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, explained that his ministry had created numerous avenues, including ministerial briefings, to enlighten, educate, and inform the public about the policies, programs, and projects undertaken by the present administration in the state.

He used the opportunity to appeal to the public, especially those from communities where schools and other facilities are provided, to take ownership and ensure their protection against criminals, vandals and saboteurs.

The commissioner further announced that the governor had approved N5.6 billion for the digitalisation of the state-owned media house, Nasarawa Broadcasting Service, for better output in line with global standards.

He stated that the government is already expecting the equipment for the total switchover to arrive in the country and pledged to train the station’s staff to build their capabilities to handle the gadgets.