After nearly two years of anticipation and repeated promises, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has finally directed the State Commissioner for Education to issue letters of appointment to the first batch of newly recruited teachers in the state.
The directive, given in Osogbo, the state capital, comes as a fulfillment of a long-standing pledge to bolster the state’s education workforce, a process that had been pending since the decision of the State Executive Council last year.
The Governor’s move appears to be a response to mounting pressure regarding the delay.
Just prior to the directive, the lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Hon. Oluwole Oke, had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to either finalize the recruitment or refund the application fees paid by candidates.
In a statement released on Wednesday by his media unit, Hon. Oke expressed deep concern that applicants for secondary school teaching positions had paid fees nearly two years ago, yet the recruitment process remained inconclusive.
“The government must immediately commence and conclude the recruitment of qualified teachers for public secondary schools or refund in full all application fees collected from the affected applicants,” Oke had demanded, arguing that holding onto the fees without delivering the jobs was unacceptable.
He further clarified the legal framework of the recruitment, noting that while secondary school recruitment lies with the state, the recruitment of primary school teachers is the statutory responsibility of the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs).
He emphasized that any fees collected for primary school recruitment outside this framework were unlawful and warranted an immediate refund.
Breaking the silence on the delay, Governor Adeleke described the eventual approval of the appointments as part of his administration’s commitment to using education as a tool for individual empowerment and sustainable development.
Beyond the recruitment, the Governor also highlighted the state’s “Stay-in-School Initiative,” a school policing and neighbourhood watch programme aligned with the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative.
He noted that the programme reflects the state’s resolve to protect the future of children by ensuring a safe and secure learning environment.
While the Governor commended the initiative for promoting community participation in school safety, the immediate focus for thousands of applicants remains the collection of their long-awaited appointment letters.
