Ghost Workers’ Verification: Again, Ebonyi teachers lament “maltreatment, humiliation, intimidation” by Umahi

Teachers in primary and secondary schools in Ebonyi State have lamented alleged maltreatment by the state governor, Engr David Nweze Umahi, especially with regards to welfare and in the process of trying to fish out “ghost workers” in the education system.

On August 14, in a notice by the Technical Committee on Verification of Teachers and Other Matters in the State, jointly signed by the Principal Secretary/Chairman, Chief Emmanuel I. Obasi, and Head of Service/Secretary, Dr. Ritamary Okoro, the Ebonyi state government invited teachers, non tutorial staff and other concerned authorities in the state to a verification exercise slated for Tuesday, August 16 and August 17, at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.

The notice stated in part: “Each Principal or Head Teacher should come along with: (i) Duplicate copy of the Photo Album of their schools earlier submitted by them (ii) Attendance register of 3rd Term, 2021/2022 Session.

“All Staff in each schools (sic) are to come with the following: (i) Letter of First Appointment of each person. (ii) Gen. 35 of Last Promotion of each person. (iii) Gen. 35 of Current Promotion of each person.

“DATE: (a) Tuesday August 16, 2022 for UBEB Junior Secondary School Principals, Head Teachers, Teachers, Non Tutorial and Management Staff. (b) Wednesday August 17, 2022 for SEB Principals, Teachers, Non Tutorial and management Staff.

“Please Note that any of the above mentioned persons who fails to physically appear before the Committee on the scheduled date will be deemed as a Ghost worker and subsequently deleted from the Government Payroll and Data Base.

“Note also that this Verification Exercise is a One-Off Exercise as there will be no repeat or Mop-Up Exercise,” the notice stated.

However, the verification of Primary and Junior Secondary School teachers (UBEB) was shifted to 23rd August and then subsequently suspended indefinitely, with concerned teachers told to dedicate all their lives to listening to the Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) on radio.

“VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Please, you are hereby directed to disregard the earlier information in respect of the UBEB VERIFICATION EXERCISE.

“You are rather adviced (sic) to listen to EBBC radio announcement to in order to get the authentic schedule.

“You are also advised in your own interest not to travel until the end of the exercise. Thanks so much for your understanding,” a circular signed by Obasi and Okoro to that effect stated.

TEACHERS LAMENT

However, in separate interviews with our reporter, many of the teachers said that, instead of paying them salaries, leave allowances and other emoluments, the Ebonyi state governor, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, prefers to subject them to different forms of “harassment, humiliation and intimidation”.

Speaking with our reporter in Abakaliki, a secondary school teacher, who gave his name as Oliver Chukwu Nwangele, said that there has not been any promotion of teachers since Umahi came into office in 2015.

He said: “The least a teacher in Ebonyi State school system (Level 07) under Umahi receives is about N35, 000 as monthly salary. This is without leave allowance and annual incremental increase for almost 8 years.

“Again, contrary to a post making the rounds on social media that Umahi has promoted and cleared the promotion arrears of teachers in the state, teachers in public primary and secondary schools in the state are only promoted on paper as no corresponding promotional salary increases have been paid to any Ebonyi teacher since 2015 when Umahi came into power.

“Most teachers have two paper promotions. Some have three paper promotions. They are called Gen. 35. None of these promotions have been paid for almost 8 years of Umahi’s administration. They only exist on paper.

“What Umahi does is to always call teachers for one screening/verification exercise or the other since he came into power.

“His administration has conducted over 20 of such exercises since 2015, claiming he was looking for ‘ghost workers’ among the teachers.”

He added: “Meanwhile, he hasn’t recruited any teacher for almost 8 years of his administration. The screening/verification he conducted in March, 2021 saw the non-payment of about 200 teachers for a year and six months.

“They were paid recently; due to pressure from Labour Unions in and outside the state and Umahi has remained bitter since paying the money, claiming it was his personal money that he used to pay them.

“Umahi has commenced another round of verification of teachers at the Pa Ngele Oruta Stadium, Abakaliki, where hungry and poverty stricken teachers assemble everyday to be verified or be declared “ghost workers”; even when he knows that teachers are in their long vacation, where they travel far and wide for their sandwich programmes across the country.”

Also speaking with our reporter, another teacher, who preferred anonymity, said that Umahi relishes in seeing civil servants, especially teachers, suffer in the state, revealing that they enjoyed better welfare under past administrations.

She said: “We cannot explain as teachers in Ebonyi State what wrong we did to Umahi that we should be made to suffer like this.

“During Sam Egwu and Martin Elechi’s administrations, teachers could afford to buy cars and build houses, but under Umahi, for 8 years, no teacher has been able to buy a bicycle not to talk of building a house.

“Your salary cannot feed you for a week. If you are a family man, you depend on borrowing and charity to survive. It’s a vicious circle.

“Teachers are suffering and dying in Ebonyi State under Umahi’s watch. We need a governor who can salvage and rehabilitate Ebonyi State teachers. We need rehabilitation. Umahi has so wickedly impoverished us.

“For almost 8 years, we haven’t been paid leave allowances, no promotion arrears, no annual incremental step, no implementation of promotion. It only exists on paper (Gen. 35).

“All Ebonyi teachers are paid two or three levels below the Gen. 35 they are holding. What it means is that if you are, for instance, on Level 16, instead of receiving Level 16 salary, you are paid Level 13 or 14. The situation is as bad as that.

“We need a governor who is a true Messiah, not one that will deceive us into voting him; only to renege on his promise. This is what Umahi did to us in 2015. Prof. Odoh should prove to us that he should be trusted. We are tired of unfulfilled promises and broken vows!”

Interestingly, a media aide to Umahi, Ekeh Stancostan, said on Facebook on August 14, that the complaint of nonpayment of salaries is the handiwork of the opposition, claiming that Umahi pays close attention to the welfare of civil servants.

He said: “Get the point very clearly, the opposition elements have nothing to demean Governor David Nweze Umahi with. They have seen that Chief Umahi has stood himself out, making Ebonyi State a reference point of good governance with his Midas touch and they brought the rumour of non payment of workers salaries.

“Ebonyi workers under Chief Umahi receive their salaries on or before 15th of every month. It is only in Ebonyi State that workers receive 13th month salary. It has been like that since 2015.

“Ebonyi workers are not owed, pensioners are not owed, civil servants who are due for promotion have been promoted and their benefits fully paid. The information is in public domain and is verifiable. It’s APC or no other political party in Ebonyi State. Umahi is an exceptional leader,” he said.

However, another teacher, who pleaded anonymity, refuted the claims by the state government, saying that it is the height of wickedness to lie against teachers; revealing they are often paid two weeks into a new month for services rendered the previous month.

He said: “No worker receives salary on the 15th of every month. Today is 21st August, no worker has been paid.

“UBEB teachers receive their salaries on the 15th of the upper month. For instance, when August salaries are eventually paid by the end of the month, UBEB teachers will receive their own August salary on the 15th of September. Wickedness!

“The 13th Month salary they talk about is N10, 000 for State workers and N5, 000 for Local Government workers every December. So, if anybody tells you it’s a full month salary, it’s a blatant lie. There is no such thing as 13th Month salary. It’s a scam.”

Meanwhile, while consulting with stakeholders last week in Abakaliki, the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Ebonyi State, Prof. Ifeanyi Benard Odoh, said that he will ensure better remuneration of teachers in Ebonyi State if elected in 2023.

“The schools in our villages have no teachers. The highest you can get in our schools is one teacher and a Head Teacher. Many of our teachers have retired without replacement.

“We will employ at least 4,000 teachers and pay them a minimum of N100, 000 monthly to ensure they are happy teaching our children. We must revamp our education system. We must raise our children very well to secure our future,” he said.

UMAHI’S REACTION

However, when Glonat Newsonline contacted the Special Assistant to Umahi on Media and Strategy, Hon. Chooks Oko, he declined comment, referring our reporter to the Commissioner for Education other officials.

When our reporter contacted the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Sunday Ziji Nwagele, he could not take or return calls made to his verified phone number and was yet to get back to our reporter on WhatsApp as of the filing this report.