Kwara Suspends Perm Sec, Four Others for Recruitment of Fake Teachers

Kwara State Government has suspended a permanent secretary and four other senior officials over their alleged involvement in the recruitment of ‘fake’ teachers and suspicious deductions of workers’ salary at the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The affected officials are the Permanent Secretary of the parastatal, Alhaji Bayo Audu Onimago; Director of Finance and Supply of SUBEB, Husseni Ahmed; Account Officers, Mujeeb Ibrahim and Oyerinde Fatai, and a staff of the Teaching Service Commission, who doubled as the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Toyin Saliu Idris.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin zonal office, had two weeks ago uncovered the alleged fraud at the SUBEB, where some senior officials have been allegedly using fake names to siphon the state government funds.

The alleged discoveries had led the national leadership of the NUT to suspend the state Chairman of the NUT, Alhaji Salihu Idris, and state Secretary of the Union, Alhaji Tijani Idris, from office over their alleged involvement in the deal.

However, in a statement issued in Ilorin yesterday, the state Commissioner for Communications, Mr. Murtala Olarenwaju, said: “The indefinite suspension is connected to some discoveries of alleged fraud in the parastatal by the EFCC.

“This is in line with the efforts of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration to cleanse the system, particularly at SUBEB, where some startling discoveries have been made.

“Salaries connected to the controversial names on the payroll have been flagged and suspended until the end of the exercise.”