The Benue State House of Assembly has directed the immediate suspension of the ongoing primary school teachers’ recruitment exercise by the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (BSUBEB).
The decision followed concerns over the recruitment of candidates without proper education qualifications and allegations of irregularities in the process.
The Assembly has summoned BSUBEB’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Grace Adagba, to appear on Tuesday and provide critical information, including a school-by-school needs assessment, the recruitment results for all candidates, and the legal basis for the exercise. The Board is also expected to explain why candidates with non-professional degrees in education and aptitude test scores as low as 25% were shortlisted, contrary to the requirements advertised.
During Wednesday’s plenary, the motion for suspension was moved by Makurdi South representative, Mr. Douglas Akya, who expressed concerns about the integrity of the recruitment exercise. He stated that the alleged manipulation undermines the governor’s efforts to improve public primary schools. Deputy Whip Alfred Emberga, seconding the motion, emphasized that recruiting teachers is not BSUBEB’s responsibility, while Mata constituency representative Simon Gbabo called for a suspension pending further investigation.
The Assembly is considering establishing an ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter. Majority Whip Peter Ipusu supported the move, citing the need for transparency.
In a separate issue, Kwande West representative Thomas Dugeri presented a petition by Roselyn Ganki alleging underpayment of her salary by SUBEB. The petition has been referred to the Standing Committee on Rules and Business for review.
Additionally, the Assembly withdrew the confirmation of three deputy clerks of the House due to procedural concerns regarding the gazetting of the Benue State Assembly Service Commission Law 2024. Majority Leader Saater Tiseer stressed the importance of proper gazetting to uphold the Assembly’s credibility as a lawmaking institution.
Meanwhile, three new bills sponsored by Buruku State constituency representative Dr. Abraham Jabi and others were read for the first time during the session.
