The Deputy Minority Leader of Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Luka Iliya Zhekaba, representing Obi two Constituency, has been suspended, following his alleged involvement in the fake employment of 38 Secondary School Teachers in the state.
Also to feel the wrath of the Assembly is Mr Anthony Ladan, a Senior Accountant in the State Bureau for Salaries who earlier admitted including the names of 38 Teachers into the payroll of the State Government without a directive from the Commissioner of Finance and one Mr Michael Adonye Johnny, a Staff of the Ministry of Education who is a syndicate. They are to proceed on compulsory retirement.
While Mr John Nuhu, a former Staff of the Teachers Service Commission has been directed to be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution over his role in the said fake employment, the Director, Bureau for Salaries, Sulley Daheer and other Staff are to be deployed to other departments within the Ministry of Finance.
Speaker of the Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, announced this on Monday, shortly after the Lawmakers deliberated on a report submitted by the House Committee on Education on the recruitment of 366 teachers as well as 38 Fake teachers in the payroll of the State Civil Service.
The Committee had earlier recommended that the Deputy Minority Leader be suspended and an Ad-hoc Committee be formed to investigate his alleged involvement in the crime.
The Speaker who explained that the House members are not against the employment of Teachers, said in doing so a due process must to be followed for equity and fairness, adding that recruitment of Teachers in the State is supposed to be a periodic exercise.
Balarabe who disclosed that he can not question the activities of the Suspended Member for now pending the outcome of further investigation, called on the Management of the State Teachers Service Commission to sit up to its Statutory responsibilities.
He also appealed to the State Government to carry out an independent investigation on the activities of MDAs in the State in order to correct any identify wrongs.
The House was unanimous on the appointment of Honourable Suleiman Yakubu Azara, Member Representing Awe South Constituency as the Chairman of the three Man ad-hoc Committee to investigate the role played by the suspended Minority leader.
Other Members of the Committee are, Honourable Usman Labaran Shafa, Member Representing Toto/ Gadabuke, Honourable Samuel Tsebe, Representing Akwanga South Constituency and Mr Ibrahim Musa, the Deputy Clerk of the House is to serve as Secretary of the Committee. The Committee members have two weeks to carry out their assignments.
Earlier, Chairman, House Committee on Education, Daniel Ogazi while presenting the report of the Committee said the committee discovered that the syndicates collected between N50,000 and N100,000 to issue fake appointment letters to the applicants.
According to him in the process of carrying out its assignment, the Committee invited the management of the Ministry of Education, Finance, Accountant General, the syndicates, one Caroline Barde, a victim, among others before the Committee come up with its report.