Ilorin — The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has tackled the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, over the current move to recruit 1,611 teachers for primary schools in the 16 local government councils of the state.
The party, however, stated that "the move is deliberate and calculated ambush on the newly granted local government financial autonomy by the Supreme Court."
The state government in a statement issued in Ilorin last Tuesday, which was signed by the Press Secretary, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Biola Atere, announced the recruitment of 1, 611 teaching and non-teaching members of staff for 16 local government councils of the state.
The statement added: "A total of 695 B.Ed degree holders, 605 NCE holders, 200 security guards, and 111 other categories of non-teaching staff were approved for engagement into the service of Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board."
However, a statement issued by the PDP in Ilorin yesterday, which was signed by the party's Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olusegun Olusola Adewara, faulted the move, and called on the governor to immediately suspend the planned recruitment of the affected teachers for the local government councils.
The party said that: "Allowing the state government to proceed with this recruitment, which will see these teachers drawing salaries from 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.
"Recruiting 1,600 teachers at this time will not only strain local government finances but will also plunge them into a financial crisis.
"What is the point of hiring teachers if their salaries and entitlements cannot be sustained?
"Our party views this action as a dangerous attempt by the governor to undermine the benefits that come with local government autonomy."
The PDP further opined that: "Our party firmly believes that this recruitment exercise is not being conducted in good faith by Governor Abdulrazaq.
"Rather, it is a strategic move aimed at hiding the significant financial atrocities that have already been committed across the 16 local government areas of the state in the last five years.
"By pushing this recruitment now, the governor seeks to divert attention from the alleged financial mismanagement and irresponsibility that has characterized his administration's dealings with local government funds since 2019."
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The party added: "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 government areas.
"This would enable them to make informed decisions about where teachers are truly needed, based on the financial capacity of their local government areas.
"Therefore, leaving recruitment into schools being paid by LGAs in the hands of the state governor--who appears to be using this recruitment as a cover-up for various financial irregularities under his TICs regimes--is not only unwise but also irresponsible.
"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 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 course. Together, we can protect the future of our local government areas and safeguard the interests of our communities."
