No fewer than 1,000 secondary school teachers, who were relieved of their jobs by the state Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), some months ago due to age falsification, have been pardoned by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
The affected teachers could not hide their happiness as they were full of praises for the governor for tempering justice with mercy.
The governor, while addressing the teachers at the House of Chiefs secretariat in Ibadan, said his administration decided to review their cases after persistent interventions by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and stakeholders in the education sector.
He said a committee had been put in place to review the cases of the affected teachers, stressing that those with falsified ages would have their ages regularized and be finally reinstated, while those already due for retirement would be allowed to retire and be paid their entitlements.
Governor Ajimobi described teaching as a noble profession, saying his administration would continue to place great emphasis on integrity in the state civil service, especially among teachers who are responsible for the training of future leaders.
The governor said even though his administration had a zero tolerance for fraud and corruption, there was the need to thoroughly review the cases to ensure that the legal maxim that said it was better to set 99 guilty free than to allow a single righteous to suffer injustice, was fulfilled.
“I want to assure you that before the end of the month, we would have concluded the review of all the cases and we would forgive and pardon many of you,” the governor said.
Some of the affected teachers, on their part, publicly admitted that they falsified their ages and pleaded for pardon and eventual reinstatement, pledging that they would never be involved in such fraudulent act again throughout their remaining years in service.
