Fresh fraud rocks SUBEB Recruitment

…Maria Ikrok shows incompetency again

…Applicants forced to buy forms for N10,000 & above

BY VICTOR UFOT

The last may not have been heard of the fraud and racketeering that has engulfed the ongoing primary School teachers’ recruitment going on in Akwa Ibom State.

The exercise which began on Monday across the three senatorial Districts of the state was characterized by fraud orchestrated by some senior staff and agents in the state Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.

Applicants had besieged designated venues meant for the collection of forms as early as 7:00am but the organizing body, SUBEB officials did not arrive until about 9:00am and in some cases 10:00 am when they arrived and began dispatch forms to the applicants.

Our reporter who monitored the exercise across the Senatorial Districts observed that the exercise was marred with high level fraud leaving applicants to cry and lament over the shoddy treatments from SUBEB.

In Eket Senatorial District, only 52 forms were issued to the applicants without a charge while Uyo Senatorial District got just 95. The case of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District was terrible as just 32 forms alone were issued. 

The ugly scenario THE INK learnt forced the applicants to rather resort to buying these forms from SUBEB staff and their agents. The forms it was learnt were sold for as high as ten thousand naira and above. A few applicants were however lucky to have bought theirs at between five and Seven thousand naira only.

This development has however raised credibility questions on the nature of the exercise. One of our reporters who witnessed the sale of forms by a staff of SUBEB sought to know the rationale behind the act. In response, the SUBEB staff (female) said, “It is the directive from the hierarchy of the Board”. She explained that she would not do what the leadership of SUBEB has not directed her to do. 

Our correspondents further gathered that some agents of government may have hijacked the recruitment process for their own selfish gains. Even as the Chairman of the Board Mrs. Maria Ikrok could not be absolved of the employment racketeering that is facing the board at the moment.

Some applicants who interacted with our reporters submitted that after Maria Ikrok had conducted a botched teachers’ recruitment exercise some years ago, they had thought the woman had repented and had turned a new leaf only for her to unrepentantly allow another hijack of the SUBEB recruitment process. They maintained that they are disappointed with what they have seen and however called on the Akwa Ibom State Governor to take a look at the process again.

A very dangerous dimension was introduced into the exercise when an unnamed officer who works with SUBEB told our reporter that Maria Ikrok directed that few forms should be released to applicants. The officer alleged that the Chairman of the Board said she intends to keep some forms for the owners of Akwa Ibom State. The SUBEB officer refused further comments on the matter and said, he does not want to lose his job. 

Meanwhile, the office of the SUBEB chairman was silent on the issues of alleged irregularities that have marred the employment exercise of the three thousand teachers. Efforts to get her comments on reasons for hoarding of forms and keeping some for “owners of Akwa Ibom State” proved abortive as at the time this report was filed last night.

Not fewer than 18 persons collapsed during the exercise on Monday. And on Tuesday over 10 collapsed even with the rain including pregnant women. But pregnant and lactating mothers were however rushed out of the queue and given medical attention when the disaster of collapsed happened.

The outcome of this exercise will really go to confirm the level of honesty of Mrs. Maria Ikrok who had earlier presided over the botched 5000 teachers’ recruitment some years ago.