Nasarawa Assembly Suspends Deputy Minority Leader Over Alleged Job Scam

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has suspended its Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Luka Iliya Zhekaba ( PDP- Obi 2) for his alleged involvement in the fake employment of 38 secondary school teachers in the state.

Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, the Speaker of the House, announced this on Monday after the parliament deliberated on the report of the House Committee on Education on the recruitment of 366 teachers and 38 fake teachers in the payroll of the state civil service during plenary in Lafia.

“The committee recommended that Hon Luka Iliya Zhekaba, Deputy Minority Leader of the House should be suspended and an ad-hoc committee be set up to investigate his alleged involvement in the fake employment of the teachers,” the Speaker said.

“I hereby set up a three-man ad- hoc committee to investigate his alleged involvement and report back to the House within two weeks.

“Hon Suleiman Yakubu Azara, member representing Awe South constituency is the Chairman of the committee; Hon Usman Labaran Shafa, member representing Toto/ Gadabuke constituency and Hon Samuel Tsebe, member representing Akwanga South as members of the committee.

“Mr Ibrahim Musa, the Deputy Clerk of the House is the Secretary of the committee. I can’t question his activities or involvement for now until the committee concludes its findings,as you commence your investigation, I wish you success.”

According to the Speaker, the House is not against the employment of the teachers but due process must be followed for equity and fairness and recruitment of teachers should be a periodic exercise.

He added, “Mr Anthony Ladan, a Senior Accountant, Bureau for Salaries who admitted to including the names of 38 teachers into the payroll of the state government without a directive from the Commissioner of Finance”.

The Speaker also directed that a staff of the Ministry of Education, Mr Michael Adonye Johnny – who is a syndicate – are to proceed on compulsory retirements.

“Mr John Nuhu, a former staff of the Teachers Service Commission ( TSC) and Ministry of Information, and a syndicate of fake employment, is to be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution.”

The lawmakers also agreed that the Director of the Bureau for Salaries, Mr Sulley Daheer and other staff of the bureau be redeployed to other departments of the state Ministry of Finance, asking the management of the state Teachers Service Commission ( TSC) to sit up to its statutory responsibilities in the interest of the education sector.

This is even as they called on the state government to conduct an independent investigation into the activities of MDAs to sanitize the system.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Daniel Ogazi, while presenting the report of the committee said that the committee found out that the syndicates collected between N50,000 and N100,000 to issue fake appointment letters to the applicants.

He told the House that the committee had invited the management of the Ministry of Education, Finance, Accountant General, the syndicate, one of the victims, Caroline Barde, among others to appear before the committee.

Hon Tanko Tunga, the Majority Leader of the House moved a motion for the adoption of the report which was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Luka Iliya Zhekaba.

The House unanimously adopted the report.

It will be recalled that on August 16, the syndicates – John Nuhu and Michael Adonye Johnny – appeared before the committee and admitted forging the documents of the state Ministry of Education.

Also, Anthony Ladan, a senior accountant in the Salaries Bureau, admitted including the names of 38 teachers into the payroll of the state government without the directive from the Commissioner of Finance and Director, Salaries.