By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo.
Akwa Ibom State Government says it decision to cancel the 2015 recruitment exercise involving 5,000 teachers in state is to right all the wrongs that characterized that process.
The state head of service, Mrs. Ekereobong Akpan who spoke with New Nigerian in Uyo said government viewed public sentiments surrounding that teachers’ recruitment exercise alongside the recommendations of the ad hoc committee set up by present administration in the state to review the exercise as strong reason to do the recruitment all over again.
According to Mrs. Akpan such worrying issues include recruitment of people with faked academic certificates and identities to teach in public secondary schools in the state, besides the recruitment process itself not being transparent.
“Government has given a statement on the 5,000 people who were given appointment letters that there were complaints even with the people who went through the process and government said enough is enough.
Nobody takes action from nothing and so if you are aware that there was a committee set up, I am also thinking there will be based on findings that somebody would take a decision, nobody takes decision from vacuum, it must be based on something.
Government is going to set up another process because as you are aware that commissions and boards are in place so that means they will do effective recruitment,” Mrs. Akpan stated.
“In doing this, there will be transparency and integrity in line with the policy direction of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration in the state. We are going to recruit only Akwa Ibom people who are fit for the job such that we won’t have negative stories”, she added.
On why did it take the state government so long to come out with this decision having had set up a committee to review that recruitment exercise which was carried out since February last year, Mrs. Akpan said, “The process of taking a decision may be slow but now the decision is taken and that is the important thing and is going to right all the wrongs which trailed that recruitment process.”
Government in a press statement at the weekend n Uyo, signed by the head of service, Mrs. Ekereobong Akpan announced the cancellation of that recruitment, stating that the recruitment process was marred by irregularities
The release also declared null and void, all appointment letters issued to the affected teachers by the immediate past administration which also conducted the recruitment.
It would be recalled that the immediate administration in the state had in February last employed 5,000 teachers to fill vacancies in the public secondary schools across in the state.
Although the exercise was inconclusive as those employed were issued with employment letters but they were yet to be posted to schools, a development that they considered not favourable.
Worried by the delayed, the affected teachers recently staged a protest to the state house of assembly urging the lawmakers to impress on Governor Udom Emmanuel to release their posting letters.
Government however, viewed their action as embarrassing, just as the state lawmakers whom they looked up to as their last resort to solve the problem did not help the issue.
