Termination of Five thousand “teachers”: Why we did it - Ekerete Udoh

We have read a plethora of analysis- most patently skewed to fit certain pre-conceived political narratives or to score some fleeting political points concerning the issue of the five thousand ‘teachers’ whose flawed and fraudulent letters of appointment the State Government had rightly terminated, and we wish to again,  set the record straight in line with what His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel had earlier stated on the issue.

We wish to inform the members of the public - especially those who were affected by the exercise that Government would have had no reason to terminate their appointment if the exercise had been carried out properly and in strict accordance with the laid down rules and procedures. 

There is no responsible government anywhere in the world that will fold its arms and allow crooks, scammers and con-artistes to organize a process that would produce those whose job it is, to teach our children; those who would shape their future, their moral foundation and provide them the needed foundational skills that would enable them compete for the jobs of the Twenty First Century.

It bears repeating here  the majority of the  ‘teachers’ did not possess  even secondary school education certificates, but had conveniently gone to the black-market to obtain various university degrees to give legitimacy to their pursuits. Those ‘qualifications’ upon further review were seen to have been fake, as the universities they purported to have attended did not have records of such students or ever awarding such degrees. The records were carefully scrutinized and they all turned out to be fraudulent. Which government will allow such a fraudulent exercise to stand?

As the Governor had stated, the recruitment exercise is going to be thrown open soon, and all those who have the required qualifications among the five thousand are free to re-apply and priority will be given to them, provided they have the right qualifications.

Government is not about sentiments and we should resist the narrow impulse to play politics with education which directly impacts our children’s future. We may have political disagreements or belong to different political camps, which is healthy in a democracy, but we should never play politics with the future of our children- they are our treasure, our future and our hope- the reason why Governor Udom Emmanuel places high premium on their growth and development.

Signed

Ekerete Udoh

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Akwa Ibom State