Workforce No Longer Over-bloated as Kogi Govt Begins Recruitment of Percentage Earning Teachers

… Warns against Extortion of Applicants 

The claims by the government of Kogi State that it cannot pay full salaries and pensions of teachers and local government workers in the state due to overbloated workforce and paucity of funds could best be considered a hoax and a fickle defense in the heat of the moment. 

The Yahaya Bello led administration has continued to pay these workers and pensioners inconsistent percentage salaries between 17 to 25 percent of their entitlements, and not as at when due. 

The workers as at the time of filing this report last received April salary, of course in the same percentage that has become the norm for over seven years and counting. 

Without any attempt to bring the untold suffering meted on the workers to an end, the administration has fully accepted its place of notoriety for unpaid salaries. 

Recall that Governor Bello in a text of address to celebrate the second anniversary of his second term in office, said only what he called “extensive retrenchment” can make full payment possible. 

However, shooting its defense of over-bloated workforce and paucity of funds on the foot, the government has gone ahead to begin recruitment of more teachers to join the league of percentage earners and to further over-bloat the wage bill for the next administration. 

The recruitment, being a justification that the state treasury if not mismanaged, could pay these workers. 

Meanwhile, branding the exercise for unsuspecting applicants, the Kogi State Chairman, Teaching Service Commission, STETSCOM, Cecilia Cook in a statement on Tuesday warned against extortion of the job applicants gave the warning in a statement on Tuesday.

Cook said it has come to the notice of the commission that, some unscrupulous elements have been taking advantage of innocent applicants to extort money in the name of helping them to seek employment.

She said, “To set the record straight, STETSCOM under my watch is not requesting money for the application of suitably qualified candidates to fill vacancies in our schools.

“This is against the ideals of the New Direction administration of Governor Yahaya Bello as the exercise is purely free of charge.

“Anyone that gives money to either staff of the Commission or fraudsters are only doing so on their own risk as I am not a party to that. If you have given money to anyone, go and collect your money or report them to any security agencies close to you.”

She reiterated that the employment exercise will be transparent and fair as it is geared towards repositioning secondary education in the state.