Date: 2016-12-03

Five individuals indicted for the illegal recruitment of 971 workers into Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) are to face disciplinary action.

Addressing journalists on Friday after the State Executive Council(SEC) meeting, the State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Engr. Musa Yeketi while noted the affected officials had recruited workers in excess of the number approved by the State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

According to Yeketi, two of the indicted officers are retired, while the remaining three are still in active service. The Commissioner stressed that the officials have been referred to the Office of the Head of Service for punishment in accordance with civil service rules.

The State government had in 2014 given TESCOM approval to employ 449 staff for Mathematics, English and core Science disciplines to cater for the shortfall of teachers in those subjects as well as security guards. However, the Commission, according to Yeketi, was found to have employed about 1420 personnel, leaving a total of 971 illegally recruited.

On the fate of the affected workers, the Commissioner stated that the Council directed that the appointments of the approved 449 staff should be regularized, while those of the remaining 917 should be reviewed in line with needs of the Commission in the area of Mathematics, English and other core Science subjects.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Governor, Dr. Muyideen Akorede said that SEC also deliberated on the recent discovery of 8,863 suspected ghost personnel on the payrolls of both the state and local governments by the Personnel Database Development Committee.

He explained that the major resolutions of the Council are implementation of harmonized staff identification system, which will be renewed yearly, development of clear job description template for civil servants and the authentication of credentials, which according to him, is the next phase of the staff verification exercise.

On the upsurge of cult-related activities in the State, Dr. Akorede said that the council commended the State Ministry of Justice for the recent prosecution and conviction of some cultists in the State under the amended anti cultism law. Additionally, he said the Council set up a committee to fashion out additional strategies for taking the campaign to schools, parents and the society in general in order to urgently curb the growing menace of cultism.