By WILSON YAFU, Port Harcourt

WHEN in August, the Rivers State Government conducted recruitment examinations towards boosting the state’s teachers’ workforce with an estimated 13,000 fresh hands, the supervising Ministry of Education had thought the process it instituted for the exercise was perfect and exemplary.

The process in public view generated controversy from the very beginning, but Permanent Secretary to the Ministry, Dr. Richard Ofuru, who chaired the Recruitment Committee set up by the Education Commissioner, Alice Lawrence Nemi, had diffused the criticisms and allayed all fears, apparently not anticipating the consequences that laid ahead.

The major initial concern, among other worries, was the burden of a N1,300.00 every interested applicant had to pay as precondition to partake in the first stage recruitment examination as contained in the newspapers and broadcast advertisements of the existing staff vacancies. The public, including civil society group, Social Action, had profusely sought explanations on why jobless applicants had to pay for participation in a recruitment exercise for public offices. But Dr. Ofuru had countered such criticism as pointless.

In his defence, Dr. Ofuru said: “We are engaging JAMB, a tested hand, to conduct the recruitment exams to uphold credibility and transparency in the process. We want a process that is purely based on merit.” To do that effectively, he noted it would cost a lot of money, adding that the money each candidate was asked to pay in form of a scratch card was not for the Ministry. It was what JAMB has asked for to process application, conduct the exams and timely release of results online. “There is nothing wrong in that,” he had explained.

Rivers Assembly summons commissioner, perm sec

If the Education Ministry turned blind eye on public concerns over the exercise, it could not enjoy same liberty against the rage of the Rivers State House of Assembly, RVHA, on its reasoned inconsistencies with the exercise. At the 79th sitting of the 7th Assembly (Tuesday 6th November), the House pointed to breach of the State Education Laws by the Education Commissioner, Nemi, in the manner the teachers’ recruitment was being carried out.

The dust raised was initiated in a motion by Hon. Ibiso Nwuche, representing Ahoada East Constituency, in conjunction with the House Committee on Education. On the strength of the motion and overwhelming argument in favour, the House held that in setting up a special committee to oversee the exercise, the Commissioner usurped the statutory  powers of the State Universal Basic Education Board and that of the Senior Secondary Education as the authorities to fire and hire teachers in the state.

The House  summoned the Commissioner and principal officials of the Ministry to appear before it within 24 hours to answer to charges of the perceived breach of the law. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree, by the resolution on the motion, also ordered suspension of the recruitment exercise which had then reached interview and credentials verification for some shortlisted candidates after the JAMB conducted recruitment tests.

At the 81st Session

The Commissioner and officials of the Ministry who had failed to honour previous invitations of the House, finally appeared at the 81st session of the Assembly, hence the House did not have to invoke any warrant of arrest on them. Those who appeared at the session included the Commissioner, Permanent Secretary and Director of Finance, DFA.

The Commissioner said the recruitment process as instituted was not unilateral. She noted that apart from the fact that the Ministry had an executive go-ahead to do what it thought best to carry out an effective teachers’ recruitment, the committee so set up to handle the exercise and the decisions so far taken by the committee had the nod of both education boards whose chairmen were members of the committee.

The Commissioner  tendered two documents to back her defence. “What has been done with the recruitment was not intended to undermine the law or disrespect anyone. It was a decision taken in best interest of government which is spending so much to develop education and which you are a part of,” she added, while also citing that the laws empowered her to make policies for the development of education in the state

Taking the floor to give the first response, Leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd representing Emohua Constituency, said: “If indeed the boards have been part of the process, then that process should be allowed to continue. I see nothing wrong with  the situation. Since the House suspended the exercise, my constituents who  applied and are waiting to be interviewed have been bombarding me with complaints.”

On the contrary, other respondents rejected the House Leader’s argument, harping on Part 2 of the Senior Secondary School Board and Section 16 of the UBE Laws of Rivers State which entrust the responsibility to recruit on the boards. To the extent of the inconsistency of any excuse with the law, Hon. Ewor  stressed that: “If the Commissioner did not have confidence in the capacity of the boards to do their jobs as stipulated by the law, all she needed to do was to raise the issue for them to be replaced if found wanting and not to usurp their roles.”

Extended issues, revelations

At the end of the grilling of the Commissioner, it became obvious there were more vexed issues informing the summon than the breach of the laws. Most irritating to some of the legislators was the N1300 imposed on applicants who sought the job. It was discovered that over N50m was realised from over 40,000 thousand applicants as confirmed by Dr. Ofuru, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, who chaired the recruitment committee.

The House was further infuriated by Ofuru’s submission that the application fees were paid directly to JAMB. The summoned officials also confirmed that an additional N55m had been approved to engage another consultant to carry out the interview and verification of credentials of applicants shortlisted from the initial recruitment test.

The Chairman, House Committee on Education was compelled to ask Dr. Ofuru why: “(You) had an understanding with an external body to task and collect over N50m from jobless Rivers applicants seeking employment in the state, and there was no binding agreement on that?

“You mean to also tell this honourable Assembly that an additional N55m has been approved for another consultant to verify results of shortlisted applicant? Permanent Secretary, are you saying the boards are not competent enough to carry out these functions?”

Speaker saves the day

Giving the rage among majority of the irritated members, the capacity filled chambers was held in momentary suspense when Speaker of the House moved to decide on the faceoff. He told the Commissioner that it is the function of the boards to recruit teachers. “Hand over the exercise to the various boards. That is what the law says. That is what this honourable has decided you must follow.”

An appeal by Leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd to commit the decision to vote was overruled by the speaker who maintained that decision on the question and answer session be limited to the supporting motion which prayed the House to cause the Commissioner to release the process to the boards before the suspension order is vacated.