NIGERIA: Nasarawa Moves To Settle 4,000 Sacked Teachers, Begins Fresh Recruitment Drive

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Nasarawa State Government has announced plans to pay off over 4,000 teachers who were disengaged after being employed without proper authorization, marking a significant step in resolving the recruitment controversy that has rocked the state’s education sector.

The Commissioner for Education, John Mamman, made this known on Monday during a ministerial briefing in Lafia, the state capital. The briefing, organized by the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Ibrahim Tanko, was aimed at showcasing the achievements of the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration.

According to Mamman, the crisis originated when the dismissed management of the Nasarawa State Teachers Service Commission (TSC) exceeded the governor’s approved quota of 1,000 teachers during a recruitment exercise.

He said: “The issue started when the sacked management of the TSC exceeded the recruitment figure of 1,000 teachers as approved by Governor Abdullahi Sule.”

The commissioner explained that investigations into the scandal revealed widespread irregularities.

“We discovered that some were posted and had worked for some months, others were posted and reported but did not work, while some were posted but refused to report. The records of the last group could not be found anywhere,” Mamman stated.

To resolve the issue, Mamman disclosed that the governor approved the recruitment of 1,500 new teachers to replace vacancies created by retirement, death, and transfers. Out of the 4,000 dismissed teachers, 781 were found qualified after a fresh screening conducted by a consulting firm and were subsequently re-employed.

“We have opened the portal to commence the process for the recruitment of more people to complete the 1,500 teachers’ slots approved by the governor,” he added.

Mamman further noted that those who had worked for a few months would be compensated accordingly, while those who only reported but never taught would receive a ₦100,000 settlement.

He confirmed: “The governor has approved that those who worked will be paid for the period of work done, and those who only reported to their duty posts will be paid ₦100,000 each.”

He emphasized that the government’s actions demonstrate a strong commitment to transparency and accountability, ensuring that only qualified candidates are engaged in the state’s education system.

“Education remains the topmost priority of the Abdullahi Sule administration, which is why it has consistently received the highest budgetary allocation since 2019,” Mamman said, adding that the state plans to build and equip more schools to improve learning conditions.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Ibrahim Tanko, urged communities to take ownership of schools and public facilities in their areas to prevent vandalism.

Tanko also revealed that Governor Sule had approved ₦5.6 billion for the digitalisation of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS), in line with global best practices. “The government is expecting the equipment for the total switchover to arrive soon, and we will train the station’s staff to effectively operate the new system,” he said.

With these reforms, the Nasarawa government says it aims to rebuild public trust, enhance educational standards, and strengthen communication

infrastructure across the state.