Special Report by Mike Osarogiagbon
The recent suspension of the employment of newly recruited individuals including 5,500 teachers in Edo State, just weeks after many received appointment letters from the previous governor, Godwin Obaseki, has thrown the state’s civil service into disarray.
Recall that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s new administration announced the suspension on November 22, 2024, citing concerns that the appointments did not follow due process.
The announcement has left the affected recruits particularly teachers in a state of uncertainty and despair with many questioning the fairness, transparency, and integrity of the recruitment process.
According to the statement from the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilor, the administration discovered that several Commissions, Boards, and Agencies had issued backdated letters of employment to “cronies” without adhering to the established recruitment protocols.
The statement read: “The Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is in receipt of report of the clandestine activities being perpetuated by some Commissions, Boards, Parastatals and Agencies of Government in the State.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that these bodies have continued to issue back dated letters of employment to their cronies without due process.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this administration believes in the principle of fairness and equity which expects that all employment exercise should be merit based, competitive and accessible to all Edo indigenes.
“In light of the foregoing and in order to arrest this ugly trend, the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate suspension of all employment processes as well as the review of all appointments carried out since May, 2024 by Commissions, Boards, Parastatals and Agencies of Government.
“Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies are to note and comply with the above directive.”
The suspension has sparked outrage, especially as many of the recruited teachers had been awaiting their formal employment letters for months, with some receiving them only days before Godwin Obaseki’s tenure ended November, 12, 2024.
Alltimepost.com correspondent, Mike Osarogiagbon investigated the allegations of favoritism, delayed issuance of employment letters, backdated appointment letters, political allegiance shift and other disturbing irregularities that raised questions about the fairness, transparency and integrity of the teachers’ recruitment process.
Checks revealed that the announcement of the appointment sparked growing tensions among the recruited teachers who were not called for the collection of letters until few days to the exit of Governor Godwin Obaseki who employed them.
Consequently, the educators expressed concerns, threatened to withdraw their services and finally retired to fate which now lies in the hands of the newly inaugurated governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
The immediate past Executive Chairman, Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Salami Ozevbize had last August announced that the State government employed 5,500 teachers to fill the manpower gap in public primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
Spontaneous of allegation of favoritism occasioning lopsided employment to advantageous to a particular senatorial zone in the State greeted the release of the list of successful applicants posted on SUBEB website, leading to its immediate withdrawal.
In a swift response, the Executive Chairman of SUBEB Ozavize Salami, was alleged to have claimed that the list was pulled down to allow for the inclusion of additional successful applicants, but this did not in any measure douse the suspicion favoritism in the entire recruitment process.
Further findings revealed that the list of the newly recruited teachers was expected to be made up of those who have been trained and working under the Edo Supporting Teachers To Achieve Results (EdoSTAR) initiative, as announced by Salami Ozevbize, but it wasn’t the case as names of fresh individuals who have never attended any training also made the list.
She explained, “This recruitment of 5,500 personnel is part of our strategy to bridge the teacher gap in primary and junior secondary schools. It is another testament to Governor Obaseki’s unwavering commitment to delivering quality education to the children of Edo State.
“Many of the new teachers are young and dynamic; they will revitalise the existing teaching staff. Governor Obaseki continues to implement measures that will sustain Edo’s position as a leader in educational reform in Nigeria and beyond.”
Ozavize stated that the recruitment aimed to address teacher shortages and enhance teaching and learning in Edo schools.
Salami explained that the teachers underwent a rigorous recruitment process, as they will fill identified gaps in primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
She noted that 19,931 applications were received for the teaching positions, with 16,038 candidates selected for computer-based tests and interviews.
She stated that the selected candidates, possessing the necessary skills and expertise, will work in all local government areas of the state.
Earlier in August 2022, the immediate past Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, said EdoSTAR scheme was not a two-month or casual job, but an entrance into full-time government employment after the successful completion of the teaching fellowship program.
Her words: “There seems to be all kinds of misconceptions about what the EdoSTAR Fellowship is all about; I have heard some people say that it is a casual job. No! It is not. This is a pipeline to going into full-time government’s employment as a full-time teacher.
“The teaching fellowship is to ensure that we have had ample time to train quite a number of our graduates who do not have teaching qualifications, in preparing them to become professionals.”
It was also observed that though the teachers’ recruitment was announced in August, they were never invited to collect their employment letters until October, when Godwin Obaseki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was making arrangements to handover governance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The delay in processing their appointments may have led the new government to see the recruitment as opportunity for outgone government to fix their supporters in the state civil service and artificially inflate the state’s payroll.
Investigation also revealed that the letters, however, dated August 16, 2024, stated that the teachers’ employment would begin on September 1, 2024, “subject to the provisions of employment under Edo State Civil Service Law.” This discrepancy in dates, combined with vague language, may have also raised alarms about the legitimacy of the appointments.
One teacher who asked not to be named had over a week ago explained, “We have been in limbo for months, and we fear the new administration might see this as a way to increase the state’s expenditure, leaving us without jobs.”
Another teacher, Matthew from Benin also expressed his worry, “I have seen people who were not on the list suddenly get their letters, while some of us who were on the list have not received anything. It is as though the whole process was arbitrary, and now we are left wondering where we stand.”
Checks revealed that after the issuance of letters, SUBEB invited a category of the recruited teachers to submit their biometric data as part of the final steps to formalize their appointments.
However, the category of the educators, investigation revealed was that of fresh individuals whose name made the list as SUBEB had over two years ago already obtained the biometric data of EdoSTAR teachers, issued appointment letters.
As of November 15, 2024, only the category of recruited teachers in Ikpoba-Okha and Ovia South-West local government areas had completed their biometric registration as those from other areas, including Oredo and Ovia North-East, were scheduled to begin on a later date before the suspension directive was announced.
Apparently aware that the government will suspend their employment, a significant shift in political allegiance from Mr. Godwin Obaseki was a fortnight ago observed among the teachers. Many of the recruited educators, in a bid to secure their jobs, publicly pledged loyalty to the new governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
In an open letter to Okpebholo and his deputy, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, obtained by Alltimepost.com Correspondent, one faction of the newly recruited teachers with the name (The Newly Recruited Edo State Teachers from the 18 local government areas) stated, “We, the newly recruited teachers, extend our heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on your inauguration as the Governor of Edo State, alongside your esteemed Deputy Governor.
“As EdoStars who have undergone rigorous training, complied with the civil service recruitment process, and successfully excelled in all stages of screening including CBT tests, interviews, and credentials verification, we are thrilled to join your administration as dedicated educators.
“Your unwavering commitment to a value-driven education system is truly inspiring, and your vision for the advancement of Edo State ignites in us a renewed passion to contribute meaningfully to this mission. We pledge our unwavering loyalty to your administration and reaffirm our dedication to excellence in our teaching roles”.
However, another faction of the teachers, those who had participated in the EdoSTAR program
but were selectively excluded from the final recruitment, expressed anger and disappointment over their exclusion. Many had been promised permanent positions, but instead, new recruits were hired.
“We, Edo Star teachers, who were not shortlisted are here in solidarity to our Governor. During the three years Edo Star programme, they promised us that they are going to permanent us, but after the programme, they brought in freshers and those of us that have been working, they said age is the barrier, as they tag the age limit to 35 years. Others who passed the Computer- Base assessment were not taken. We are pleading sir, I don’t want to go back home. I don’t want to go back looking for job.
“We come to congratulate our Governor, we have been working, many of us have been trained, those without education background went back to school to do Diploma in Education. We are over 300 that were not given appointment letters by the Edo State government”.
A source at the state SUBEB office in Benin City said the claims of favoritism is unfounded and an attempt to discredit the merit-based recruitment process.
“All that were invited for employment letters were fellows of EdoSTAR who attended our trainings, have been working with us, went through the various stages of the recruitment exercise and were successful,” the source noted.
As the newly inaugurated Governor Monday Okpebholo settles into his new roles, the fate of the 5,500 teachers now rests in his hands. With a divided and disillusioned teaching workforce, unresolved questions about the legality of the recruitment, and allegations of favoritism, Okpebholo will need to make a decisive and transparent move to either validate or put the process on hold.
Meanwhile, the President of Edo State wing of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), a professional body of Principals of post-primary schools, Comrade Enomhonbor Julius has commended the State government for recruiting teachers to fill some gaps in the state public schools.
The ANCOPSS boss noted that for years 10 years, no employment of teachers was made as this has created disturbing shortage of educators in state primary and secondary schools.
According to him, “Government has spent money to train EdoSTAR teachers and they were given Teachers Tablet and have been in the teaching profession in the last two years, for government to just drop them and bring in new freshers, people they did not train and staff them is an error.
“Even if they staff all the EdoSTAR teachers, teachers will still not be enough in Edo State schools. I will advise the new government to employ those that were shortlisted and those that were not because in our days we had many teachers in schools, government should employ all of them because they were trained.”
The newly appointed Chairman of Edo SUBEB, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, has a key role to play in this regard.
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