By Willy Punvwet in Lafia
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has directed its Committee on Education, Science, and Technology to investigate the purported employment of 366 secondary school teachers by the office of the state Accountant-General.
The directive was given by the speaker of the Assembly, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi on Monday, in response on matters of public interest raised by the Chairman, Committee on Education, Science, and Technology, Daniel Ogazi during the House proceedings in Lafi.
The Speaker explained that thorough investigation into the alleged employment of teachers would assist the House to know the true position of the matter.
He advised the committee to invite all those involved on the issue for questioning and report back to the House within three weeks.
Ogazi, had, while raising the matter, disclosed that the purported employment was alleged to have emanated from the office of the state Accountant-General.
He explained that for any employment of teachers to take place, advertisement of vacancies where applicants must apply and get screened for the job required, through the State Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and not the office of the Accountant-General.
He, however, noted that there had not been such advertisement, only for the Assembly members to learn of the employment of a total of 366 teachers.
The chairman said his committee had documents on the purported employment to substanciate its claims.
The Committee Chairman,who further said that there was no provision in the 2021 budget for the employment of 366 secondary school teachers, wondered why such an employment was done without due process.
Our Correspondent reports that the Assembly also deliberated on the report of the Joint Committee on Housing and Environment/ Health, on a Bill for a Law to Establish the State’s Waste Management and Sanitation Authority.
The motion for the adoption of the report of the joint committee was moved by the Deputy Majority Leader, Daniel Ogazi and seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Luka Iliya Zhekaba,
The speaker therefore fixed August 10 for the third reading of the bill.
In another development, the Bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Urban and Regional Planning Board and for Other Purposes Connected had passed second reading.
The Bill was committed to the House Committee on Urban Development to work on it and report back to the House on August 4.2021.
