1,500 candidate teachers beg Ogun govt for employment letters

Around 1,500 candidates shortlisted for teaching jobs by Ogun State Universal Basic Education stormed the office of the governor to plead for the release of their employment letters.

They stormed the governor’s office at Okemosan, Abeokuta to lament the delay in the release of the employment letters more than a year after they were shortlisted for the employment.

The candidates carried placards with various inscriptions including “Save our soul, Omoluabi governor,” “Please, Mr governor we need our letters”, “You are delaying us with Our appointment Letters” among others.

They lamented they had heaved a sigh of relief over their state of unemployment when they were shortlisted, but they noted the delay in the release of their employment letters has compounded their woes.

Speaking on their behalf, Oluwatosin Fatunbi said the 1,500 candidates were shortlisted out of the 2,900 applicants.

He said they have all undergone the necessary stages of the recruitment and were expecting letters of employment when the exercise was suspended over COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Fatunbi said “We, the SUBEB shortlisted applicants that made it to the Final Stage and it was boldly said by the Governor himself that we should expect our letters soon that the process was put on hold because of Covid-19 and that because they were still negotiating the Minimum wage. He said that immediately after negotiation of the minimum wage we would get our appointment letters.

“And here we are today in March 2021, more than a year after we had the Oral interview, we are still not yet employed and it has been all over that the governor has employed 1,500 teachers, which he has not completed.

“This is just an avenue for us to call the attention of the Governor, we know he is a listening Governor, we know he is the father of the masses he would definitely hear out.

“We are appealing at a time like this to please consider us and approve the release of our employment letters.”