Ekiti govt reverses employment of over 100 teachers after paying N5,000 for induction, teaching service manual, others

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has reversed the employment of over 100 teachers who were among the successful applicants in the Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) recruitment exercise but were not issued employment letters since November last year.

The governor has also directed immediate refund of money paid by successful candidates.

Mr Babatunde Abegunde, Chairman of TESCOM, disclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, saying the directive was due to the commitment of the governor to the general welfare of the people in the state and the need not to make new entrants into the public service suffer unduly.

Abegunde explained that monies to be refunded covered those paid by the candidates for the purchase of the Teaching Service Manual, Service Record and Job Cards among others during the documentation stage.

WazobiaReporters had reported  that instruction came from the State Governor Fayemi to stop issuance of employment letters to the successful applicants.

After their names had been released as those who were successful among the applicants, in November 2020, they were made to pay a sum of N5,000 each for induction, handbook and others.

A letter dated November 26, 2020 and signed by Biodun Adalumo for the TESCOM Permanent Secretary read; “Sequel to your successful performance in the Recruitment Examination and Oral Interview by the Teaching Service Commission, you are to make available documents listed below to enable the Commission issue you Letter of Offer of Appointment and your subsequent posting instructions.”

In the letter,  they were asked to bring Declaration of Age/Birth Certificate, Medical Fitness Certificate with a Government owned hospital, Local Government Attestation, Relevant Academic Certificates and four recent passport photographs.

The successful applicants paid N1,000 for Teachers’ Manual, N1,000 for Records of Service, N500 for Job Card and N2,500 for Induction Materials, totalling N5,000.

The money was paid into TESCOM account number 0537177025 domiciled in First City Monument Bank. They were subsequently issues with handbook and other materials.

However,  close to four months after, they were yet to get employment letters from TESCOM.

However,  yesterday,  the TESCOM chairman said that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the state government was very fair in the recruitment exercise, but regretted that the pandemic and the attendant economic downturn, as well as the #EndSARS protest stalled the process.

Abegunde recalled that the commission commenced the process by mid-2020, adding that the target could not be met because of the lockdown and other effects of the global pandemic and other reasons.

He explained that TESCOM projected the recruitment exercise which consisted of both written examination and interviews in phases for administrative and economic convenience.

According to him, the process of appointing the first batch of 400 teachers started in October, 2019 and was concluded in November, 2020.

He added that the process for recruiting the second batch of 100 teachers commenced immediately after the first set of appointees were posted to schools with the invitation of shortlisted candidates for documentation.

Abegunde explained further that the materials such as Teaching Service Manual, Service Record and Job Cards among others that the successful candidates purchased during the documentation exercise would remain their property.

The TESCOM chairman said that letters of appointment would have been issued immediately after documentation, stressing that it was however not feasible the reasons stated above.

He stressed that the governor would not subscribe to employing workers that the state would not be able to promptly pay their salaries.

He, however, assured that the recruitment process would continue as soon as the state finances improved, to accommodate new entrants into its workforce.