KwSUBEB: Call A Halt To Recruitment Exercise, Kwara PDP Tells Gov AbdulRazaq

 As the Kwara state Universal Basic Education Board (KwSUBEB), Ilorin, gets set  to  engage a total of 1,611 teaching and non-teaching staff from across the 16 local governments in the state, Kwara state PDP  has  urged  Governor  Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to  ‘pause action’ on this,  noting that the party ‘considers this move as a deliberate and calculated ambush on the newly granted local government financial autonomy by the Supreme Court’.

In a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by  its State Publicity Secretary , Mr. Olusegun Adewara  on Thursday, the party opined that allowing the state government to proceed with the planned recruitment exercise, which will see the new teachers draw salaries from the local government coffers, ‘is a gross misstep that will set a bobby trap for incoming elected administration by overburdening the already overstretched financial resources of our local councils’.

‘Our party firmly believes that this recruitment exercise is not being conducted in good faith by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Rather, it is a strategic move aimed at hiding the significant financial atrocities that have already been committed across the 16 local governments in the state in the last 5 years. By pushing this recruitment now, the governor seeks to divert attention from the financial mismanagement and irresponsibility that has characterized his administration’s dealings with local government funds since 2019.

We strongly believe that the elected council chairmen should be allowed to conduct a comprehensive NEEDS assessment of the educational requirements within their respective local governments. This would enable them to make informed decisions about where teachers are truly needed, based on the financial capacity of their local governments’ the party said.

The state PDP has also called on labour union leaders in the state to support its demand that the recruitment exercise should be suspended

‘We call on the comrades in the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and all stakeholders, in the interest of our state, to rise and challenge the fraudulent recruitment exercise currently being orchestrated by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. This is not just a matter of employment; it is an attack on the integrity and autonomy of our local governments. We urge all members of NULGE to unite in this cause. Together, we can protect the future of our local governments and safeguard the interests of our communities.

We ask, why is this recruitment being proposed now, at a time when local government autonomy is in effect and local elections are imminent? Why is the governor not addressing the critical shortages of teachers in Senior Secondary Schools, where the need is far more pressing?

There are numerous public secondary schools in Kwara where key subjects are either not taught or are managed by a single teacher, particularly in Mathematics, English and other Science core subjects. Why is the state government not prioritizing filling these gaps within the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) instead of infringing upon the autonomy of the local governments?’ the statement added.

The party also noted that it viewed this action as a dangerous attempt by Governor Abdulrahman to undermine the benefits that come with the local government autonomy while  calling on the governor ‘to immediately halt this recruitment exercise in the interest of Kwara’s future and rather intensify his actions on how the new minimum wage will be paid to the existing workforce and also eradicate the salary dichotomy between SUBEB and TESCOM’-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you