…Orders compensation for years of service

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has approved the full absorption of more than 700 ad hoc staff serving in state-owned tertiary institutions, bringing an end to years some stretching over two decades of insecure employment and meagre remuneration.

The affected workers cut across the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi; College of Education, Gindiri; College of Health Technology, Zawan; and College of Health Technology, Pankshin.

Many of them were collecting between 6,000 and 15,000 naira monthly, some have served for between five to 22 years without regularisation.

Addressing the newly absorbed workers during a meeting at Government House, Jos, Governor Mutfwang described their prolonged ad hoc status as unjust and unacceptable, insisting it was “immoral, unprofitable, and wicked” to leave people who had effectively sustained these institutions for years without giving them the dignity and security of permanent employment.

He explained that the administration’s earlier suspension of last-minute appointments made by the previous government was aimed at correcting longstanding injustices, not to undermine the workers.

According to him, the process was misunderstood by some who rushed to court. They got judgement because, not that what we did was wrong, but that it should have been done by the Governing Councils, which were not constituted at the time.

Mutfwang noted that once the Councils were inaugurated, they thoroughly reviewed records to identify those eligible for absorption, adding that a help desk was also set up in the Ministry of Education to address complaints.

He affirmed that the government’s priority is to strengthen the institutions with qualified and motivated personnel capable of shaping future generations.

Beyond regularising their employment, the governor announced the approval of financial compensation to reflect the years the workers spent on paltry wages, and disclosed that funds had been allocated to the institutions for proper disbursement to the affected staff.

Commissioner for Education, Kachollom Gang, commended the governor’s action, describing him as a compassionate leader committed to fairness and the welfare of citizens. Special Adviser on Labour Relations, Titus Alams, and Special Adviser on Youths, Hitler Pwajok, also lauded the gesture and encouraged the workers to justify the government’s confidence in them.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Josiah Sati expressed gratitude to the governor, noting that their pleas had been ignored by successive administrations for more than 20 years, and pledged the workers’ loyalty and support for the Mutfwang administration in appreciation of the long-awaited intervention.