A major employment scandal has been uncovered in Nasarawa State, as an investigative committee set up by the state government has exposed the illegal recruitment of 2,277 teachers by the Teachers’ Service Commission.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, while receiving the committee’s report at the Government House in Lafia on Thursday, expressed outrage over the scale of the misconduct, which saw TSC officials recruit 3,277 teachers—far exceeding the 1,000 positions approved by his administration.
The governor condemned the officials’ actions, describing them as a betrayal of public trust and an assault on the state’s education system.
He revealed that many desperate job seekers were allegedly forced to pay between N500,000 and N700,000 to secure employment, turning the recruitment process into a cash-for-jobs racket.
“These people will be handed over to security agencies because this goes beyond administrative misconduct. The fact that they collected money from innocent citizens for jobs is a crime that must be investigated,” Governor Sule declared.
He further lamented that the illegal recruitment was not conducted on merit, raising concerns about the qualifications of the individuals employed.
According to him, this could jeopardize the administration’s ongoing efforts to improve educational standards in the state.
The investigative committee’s report, presented by its chairman, Silas Dachor, detailed gross irregularities in the recruitment process.
The committee found that the employment exercise lacked transparency, was selectively conducted, and did not reflect the staffing needs of schools across the 13 local government areas.
Some teachers were reportedly issued appointment letters without designated postings, while others were assigned to schools already overstaffed.
Governor Sule assured that while his administration would pay the illegally recruited teachers for the work they had done, their appointments would be terminated.
He hinted at a possible fresh selection process to ensure that only the most qualified 1,000 teachers would be retained.
“The future of our children is at stake, and we cannot allow politics or corruption to undermine our efforts to build a solid education system,” he stressed.
