Nasarawa to Pay Off 4,000 Sacked Teachers from Recruitment Scam, Opens Portal for 1,500 Fresh, Merit-Based Slots

The Nasarawa State Government today, Monday, November 3, 2025, announced a decisive resolution to the protracted crisis surrounding the illegal employment of teachers, revealing plans to pay off over 4,000 individuals wrongly recruited by the former management of the state’s Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

The Commissioner for Education, John Mamman, made the disclosure during a ministerial briefing in Lafia, stating that the move is a significant step towards restoring transparency and accountability in the recruitment process within the education sector.

The Commissioner explained that the TSC’s sacked management had grossly exceeded the figure of 1,000 teachers initially approved by Governor Abdullahi Sule. Investigations into the scandal revealed multiple irregularities, including the illegal issuance of employment letters.

Pay-Off Structure and New Recruitment Drive

To address the humanitarian aspect of the scandal, Governor Sule has approved a financial remediation plan for the victims. Mamman confirmed that those who had worked for some months will be compensated with the salaries owed for that period. Furthermore, those who only reported to their stations but never commenced work will each receive a lump sum payment of ₦100,000.

“We discovered that some were posted and had worked for some months… To address the issue, the governor has approved the recruitment of 1,500 persons to fill the vacancies,” Mamman stated.

The government emphasized that the illegal employment was an administrative error and not a reflection of the teachers’ competence, but the recruitment process itself was compromised. To address the massive deficit of qualified personnel, the state has now commenced a new, merit-based recruitment drive for 1,500 teachers.

During a prior exercise, the 4,000 wrongly employed individuals were given a chance to compete; however, only 781 were successful and have since been formally absorbed. The government confirmed today that the portal has been re-opened to complete the recruitment of the remaining slots.

The state government reaffirmed that education remains the topmost priority of the Abdullahi Sule administration, assuring citizens that the commitment to transparency will ensure that only competent, qualified teachers are employed to guarantee a better standard of education across the state.