48 disengaged teachers in Kwara found on pay roll

By Maureen Ikpeama

About 48 disengaged teachers have been found on the payroll of Kwara State Government.

This was revealed by a probe committee set up by Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq 

The governor inaugurated a three-person committee to probe allegation of disengaged teachers on the payroll. 

Chairman of the committee, Saka Razaq, while submitting the report, said their findings uncovered that 48 disengaged ‘sunset teachers’ were still on the government payroll.

He added that the committee was inaugurated on April 30, 2021, to consider the circumstances surrounding the infiltration of 48 disengaged SUBEB sunset staff into the March 2021 payroll.

“We invited all the departments involved (their heads and members). We asked them to put their defence in writing and we invited them for oral cross examination and presentation.

“In our cross examination, we examined them based on the documents submitted.

“We even engaged forensic experts in order to detect something. We have now come up with our findings and recommendations.

“The committee’s report confirmed the unlawful inclusion of 48 names of sunset teachers into the March payroll,” Razaq said.

He said the committee has recommended that queries be issued to some officers involved in the preparation of the payroll and called for overhaul of the Office of Accountant General.

According to Razaq, the committee recommended the refund of the amount involved by the consultant that paid the money, while government should take steps to avoid a repeat of the ugly development.

Speaking after receiving the report, Abdul Razaq said appropriate sanctions would be taken against anyone implicated in fraud.

“Integrity of the payroll of the state government is very important to us.

“A situation where people will upload names that are not supposed to be on the payroll will not be tolerated by the state government.

“That’s why we set up the committee to look into it, find the culprits, and recommend solutions to it.

“Let me appreciate your work. It is straight, fast and voluminous. Government will look into it and take appropriate action,” the governor assured.

Abdul Razaq set up a three-person committee to probe revelations that some of the teachers who were disengaged in December 2020 were paid in March.

The panel comprised Saka Razaq as Chairman, with Mr Murtala Sambo and Mrs Adenike Ojo as members.