Nine years ago, during the widely criticized screening exercise by the Yahaya Bello led administration, Shaibu Muhammed Eyigege was an Assistant Director in the Kogi state Ministry of Agriculture, but was removed by the screening committee on allegations of certificate forgery.
Till date, and now battling ill-health, Eyigege who hails from Bassa Local Government Area of the state has insisted his certificates were original,
Narrating his ordeal in an interview, the former Director who is a father of 14 children with two wives, noted life has become unbearable for him and he is dying slowly.
“At some point, I felt like taking my own life because the suffering became unbearable,” he said, “But as a Muslim, suicide is a sin. That is the only reason I did not do it.”
Eyigege added, “I know my time is close, very near. So why should I take my life? I will wait for God’s appointed time.”
He said the loss of his job had plunged the family into severe hardship as feeding has become difficult, while all his children have dropped out of school due to his inability to pay their fees.
“We are dying installmentally,” he lamented.
Eyigege explained that he joined the Kogi State civil service in 1987 with a Teachers Grade II Certificate and later obtained a National Certificate in Education (NCE) in Agriculture as well as a university degree in Agriculture.
He said he rose through the ranks and became an assistant director on Grade Level 14 in the Ministry of Agriculture before the screening exercise that led to his removal.
According to him, the screening committee accused him of presenting a forged testimonial from the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa.
However, he maintained that all his certificates from the same institution were accepted by the committee without objection.
“My NCE certificate, degree certificate and even my Grade II certificate were accepted,” he said.
Eyigege said a testimonial is not a requirement for employment, promotion or screening in the civil service and therefore should not have been used as grounds for terminating his appointment.
He further disclosed that after years of appeals, the institution later confirmed that the testimonial in question was genuine and duly issued by the college.
Despite the clarification, he said no effort was made to reinstate him.
“I have written several letters to the Office of the Head of Service and the Civil Service Commission, but nothing has happened,” he stated, adding that although he was removed from service, he was never officially issued a disengagement letter.
“The only communication I received was a letter asking me to retire,” he disclosed.
He said he was due for retirement in 2022 but had neither received salary arrears nor gratuity and was not placed on pension.
“I am hypertensive now because of excessive thinking and stress. I am permanently on blood pressure drugs,” he said.
He appealed to the Kogi State government to intervene in the matter and enable him to live the remainder of his life in peace.
“My prayer is that government should pay my salary arrears, gratuity and place me on pension so I can survive the rest of my life in peace,” he pleaded.
Efforts to obtain clarification from the Office of the Head of Service on the matter were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
