MY ONE KOBO ABOUT THE PROPOSED 1,600 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS RECRUITMENT BY THE KWARA STATE GOVERNMENT

By Suleiman Mohammed

Recruitments under whatever guise or coloration is a thing of hope and joy to an unemployed person not minding its aftermath and this is understandable.

However, in the instant case of Kwara State Government intention to recruit 1,600 teaching and non teaching primary school teachers, the intention of the Government can be question given some certain facts.

First of all, Primary and Junior Secondary School teachers are said to be under the payroll of the local government and not State Government or better put, they are being paid from the fund accrued to the local government ( local government allocations) This explains the disparity in thier salaries compared to their counterparts under TESCOM. You will recall the recent pronouncement of local government autonomy by the apex court of the country and consequent setting up of the committee by the FG on the implementation strategies of the autonomy. Giving this financial autonomy, is it not also right to every common sense and logic that anyone that would be paid by the and with the allocations of the local governments should be employed by the local government itself and not by the state government? Why is the State Government undertaking recruitment that won’t be paid by the State Government and won’t be under the State Government?

Secondly, ENetSuD has revealed to the public and Kwara State Government has confirmed that some LGAs in the State are not financially buoyant to meet with their existing financial obligations such as salary payments and other responsibilities. These LGAs include all the LGs in Kwara Central, Moro in Kwara North and few in Kwara South. These LGs are liabilities and feeding fat on the other LGAs like Baruten, Edu, Kaiama and Patigi monthly federal allocations through JAAC notwithstanding that these LGAs been fed on are faced with serious unemployment and infrastructural deficits too. Now, the questions begging for answers are is this recruitments only for LGs who have the financial capacity or for all the LGs? Which we know it is for all the LGs. Now, how can KC LGs and others feeding and relying on KN LGs for survival undertake another recruitments? Does the Kwara State Government intend to continue using the fund of KN LGs to feed the KC LGs? How does it intend to manage this robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Thirdly, why is Kwara State Government restricting the recruitment to Primary and Junior Secondary School teachers that are under the payroll of LGs and not extending same to TESCOM that are under the payroll of the State Government? Are there no shortage of teachers in the TESCOM? Are there no retirees which would have created vacancies in the TESCOM? How can we be sure that this is not targeted at over burdening the KN LGs? How can we be sure that KC recruits won’t be put under the KN LGs payroll? How can we be sure that this won’t tight the hands of the incoming LG Chairmen?

Fourtly, what will be the ratio for each LGA? How are we sure that KN LGs will have equal or at least equitable share of the slots and not the business as usual?

Good people of Kwara North, it is important we critically look into this and take appropriate steps engaging our stakeholders particularly, the House of Assembly members to protect the interest of KN.

Suleiman Mohammed writes from Patigi LGA.