In a scathing revelation that has sent shockwaves through Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule has disclosed that a staggering 80 percent of the secondary school teachers illegally recruited in the state are unable to perform basic administrative tasks, such as writing an acceptance letter. The governor has vowed that his administration will not absorb these unqualified teachers into the state’s educational system, which he describes as already plagued by severe shortcomings.
Governor Sule made these striking comments during a thank-you visit from a coalition of religious groups, led by the Nasarawa State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Dr. Sunday Emma. The religious leaders had appealed to the governor to consider absorbing the illegally employed teachers, many of whom had reportedly paid hefty sums to secure their positions. However, Governor Sule rejected the request outright, citing the teachers’ lack of qualifications as a critical barrier to their inclusion in the state’s education system.
“You are asking me to absorb them. Reverend, look at it two ways,” Sule said, addressing the CAN delegation. “I am not saying that I want to cause some people problems. I was told some of these people who paid money are not even qualified to teach. I was told some of them have given as much as 700,000 or 600,000 naira. These are people who would be paid less than 100,000. I was told 80 percent of them couldn’t even write acceptance letters. How can we help them if we are not helping our educational system?”
The Governor’s remarks underscore the gravity of the education crisis in Nasarawa State, where a lack of properly qualified teachers has long been a barrier to improving educational standards. According to the Governor, when he assumed office in 2019, he commissioned a team of education experts to conduct a baseline survey on the state’s educational facilities. The findings of this survey painted a grim picture, revealing the need for improved infrastructure, updated curricula, and, most urgently, qualified teachers.
“We were told that we needed buildings, which we have addressed,” Governor Sule explained. “We were told we needed curriculum improvements, which we have also worked on. But the one area that stood out was the need for teachers. That’s why we approved the employment of 1,000 teachers.”
However, in what is now being seen as a massive administrative failure, the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) went ahead and recruited more than 1,000 teachers, a move that has now been dubbed an “illegal recruitment spree.” Governor Sule expressed his frustration with this overreach and highlighted that the recruitment process was marred by irregularities, including bribery, nepotism, and a lack of transparency.
“The TSC brought to me, among the 1,000 approved teachers, 50 slots because they knew that many people would approach me for favours. But I told them, ‘No, don’t give me any slots. Go ahead and employ everyone based on merit. I don’t even have a single slot,’” Sule said. “The reason is simple: our educational system in this state is grossly decayed, and we need to bring it up.”
The Governor also voiced his frustration with the behaviour of some of the newly recruited teachers, who, according to reports, refused postings to rural areas. Instead, these teachers opted to remain in urban centres such as Lafia, Akwanga, Keffi, and Karu, leaving schools in more remote parts of the state severely understaffed.
“You cannot bring people who cannot teach and expect them to go to the villages where we need teachers the most,” Sule added. “They want to remain in cities like Lafia and Karu. Some of them even refuse to go to places like Toto or Gudi. These are the real problems we face in Nasarawa.”
In a bid to remedy the situation, Governor Sule announced that his administration would not be absorbing the illegally recruited teachers, but would instead organize a new round of interviews. This process, he explained, would give everyone—whether they were part of the original recruitment or newly selected—an equal opportunity to be evaluated on merit.
“Our goal is to select competent teachers who are qualified and committed to rebuilding Nasarawa’s educational system,” he said. “We will ensure that this time, the selection process is done correctly. We will not allow people with ulterior motives to hijack the process. If we don’t do the right thing, we won’t be able to fix this problem. My dream is to get it right in Nasarawa State, and we will only do that if we are honest with ourselves.”
While the new recruitment drive is seen as a step toward cleaning up the system, it also highlights the larger systemic issues within the state’s education sector. For years, teachers have been recruited through informal channels, often bypassing merit-based criteria. This has led to widespread complaints about substandard education, especially in rural areas, where the shortage of qualified teachers is most acute.
The illegal recruitment scandal also raises questions about the role of the TSC and its capacity to oversee the hiring process. According to Governor Sule, the situation reflects deeper problems within the state’s education bureaucracy, which he vowed to address in the coming months.
As the investigation into the illegal recruitment continues, Governor Sule remains firm in his resolve to clean up Nasarawa’s educational system and create a more transparent, merit-based process for hiring teachers. But with over 1,000 people now caught in this scandal, the path to reform will not be an easy one. Many of those affected have already paid large sums of money to secure their positions, and the consequences of the Governor’s decision are likely to reverberate across the state for some time.
Despite the controversy, the Governor’s stance has been met with praise by some education advocates, who believe that his commitment to quality education will ultimately benefit the state in the long term. However, critics argue that his tough stance could lead to further unrest and dissatisfaction among those who feel they have been unfairly excluded.
