SUBEB Uncovers 758 Fake Teachers, 700 Ghost Workers In Cross River State

Cross River state universal basic education board

The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Cross River says it has uncovered no fewer than 758 teachers with fake National Certificate of Education and 700 ghost workers.

Chairman of SUBEB in the state, Dr Stephen Odey made the disclosure while briefing newsmen in Calabar on Wednesday.

He said the exercise followed a mandate given to him by Gov. Ben Ayade to sanitise the education sector by carrying out the personnel audit and biometrics across the 18 local government areas of the state.

According to him, the board has granted amnesty to the teachers by asking them to go back to school and get genuine certificates required for teaching.

He explained that the board had put mechanism in place to ensure that further recruitment into the board was devoid of fake teachers.

Odey said that with the discovery of the 700 ghost workers in the board’s payroll, the state would now be saving over N60 million monthly.

“In the last few months, we have been in the field carrying out personnel audit and bio-metrics across the 18 local government areas of the state.

“What we discovered after the conclusion of the exercise is shocking.

We uncovered 758 teachers with fake certificates and 700 ghost workers who are not working but receiving salaries.

“When we found out that some of them have fake certificates, we wrote to their respective schools to ascertain the genuineness of such certificates and they responded with much disappointment.

“Young graduates with genuine certificates are everywhere looking for jobs; and when you come to the education sector that is supposed to be credible, you keep discovering teachers with fake certificates.

“For the 700 ghost workers discovered, the state government will now be saving over N60 million monthly.

“One of the shocking revelations is the case of a head teacher who transferred his late wife’s certificates to his new wife and made her a classroom teacher’’, he added.

The chairman said that in the course of the exercise, some security men and nannies who had acquired the basic teaching qualifications were promoted to classroom teachers.

He assured that the board would not relent in its effort in sanitizing the education sector in the state. (NAN)