Chairman of the Oyo State Post-Primary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Pastor Akinade Alamu, has declared that the ongoing data capturing of the newly-recruited teachers in the state is not targeted at any religion, whatsoever.

The TESCOM Chairman, who was reacting to a statement by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), which objected to the decision to hold the exercise on Monday and Tuesday on the grounds that the two days had been set aside for Eid-el-Kabir holiday, said that the exercise had been fixed long before the holiday was announced.

He also stated that the exercise is an ongoing process which is not meant to punish anyone.

He added that the exercise is aimed at further entrenching transparency and accountability in the recruitment procedures embarked upon by the state government so far.

The chairman said: “It is important to place on record that the ongoing screening exercise is not intended to deny our Muslim brothers and sisters the benefit of enjoying the Sallah break declared by the Federal Government.

“The whole exercise is aimed at strengthening the state’s adherence to transparency in the course of the recruitments undertaken so far.

“It is part of the state's quest to affirm compliance of the state to transparency and accountability in the recruitment of staff across the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

“The exercise is an ongoing process that started last week and is meant to capture the data of the State Government staff recruited in the last two years into the database of the Ministry of Finance.

“It is in fulfillment of the national transparency initiative signed into by the State Government

“We had originally designed that the exercise would hold all through the weekend but had to suspend the same on Saturday and Sunday in view of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

“The exercise is not only for the Teaching Service Commission but for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies that conducted recruitment since the beginning of Governor 'Seyi Makinde’s administration and a provision had been made for the rescheduling of the exercise so that all new employees would be captured.

“The rescheduling was to be arranged by the Ministry of Finance and the MDAs.

“One is, therefore, surprised to see that any group could insinuate that such an exercise, aimed at institutionalizing transparency, could be tagged as one meant to debar Muslims of the benefits of the national holiday.

“Such an insinuation is misconceived and a clear misrepresentation of the state’s clear and noble intention.”

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