Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has approved the full absorption of more than 700 ad hoc staff serving in state-owned tertiary institutions, bringing an end to years some stretching over two decades of insecure employment and meagre remuneration.
The affected workers cut across the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi; College of Education, Gindiri; College of Health Technology, Zawan; and College of Health Technology, Pankshin.
Many of them were collecting between 6,000 and 15,000 naira monthly, some have served for between five to 22 years without regularisation.
Addressing the workers, Mutfwang said the decision to give them permanent employment was taken after his administration discovered that they had been excluded from permanent appointments by previous governments despite their years of service.
“When we came into office, we discovered that some last-minute recruitments had excluded the ad hoc staff who had sustained these institutions for years. We felt it was immoral, ungodly, and unjust. That is why we decided to suspend the entire exercise,” Mutfwang said.
He stated that the administration’s earlier suspension of last-minute appointments made by the previous government was aimed at correcting longstanding injustices, not to undermine the workers.
However, he stated that the process was misunderstood by some who rushed to court. They got judgement because, not that what we did was wrong, but that it should have been done by the Governing Councils, which were not constituted at the time.
The Governor noted that once the Councils were inaugurated, they thoroughly reviewed records to identify those eligible for absorption, adding that a help desk was also set up in the Ministry of Education to address complaints.
He affirmed that the government’s priority is to strengthen the institutions with qualified and motivated personnel capable of shaping future generations.
Beyond regularising their employment, the governor made an announcement that instructed the approval of financial compensation to reflect the years the workers spent on paltry wages, and disclosed that funds had been allocated to the institutions for proper disbursement to the affected staff.
The state Commissioner for Education, Kachollom Gang, commended the governor’s action, describing him as a compassionate leader committed to fairness and the welfare of citizens. Special Adviser on Labour Relations, Titus Alams, and Special Adviser on Youths, Hitler Pwajok, also lauded the gesture and encouraged the workers to justify the government’s confidence in them.
While speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Josiah Sati expressed gratitude to the governor, noting that their pleas had been ignored by successive administrations for more than 20 years, and pledged the workers’ loyalty and support for the Mutfwang administration in appreciation of the long-awaited intervention.
