Claim: An online news platform, Sahara Reporters, claimed that the Osun state government has failed to conduct teacher recruitment tests despite charging the applicants two thousand naira each.
Verdict: Partly True. Available findings showed that Osun State University’s server was hacked, so the test was not conducted in two centres, Ikire and Osogbo. However, it was still conducted in 11 out of 13 centres.
Full Text
The Governor Ademola Adeleke-led Administration rolled out a recruitment application for teachers in Osun state scheduled for March 27 and 28, 2024.
However, on March 27, 2024, an online newspaper, SaharaReporters, published a story that the Osun state government failed to hold a teacher recruitment exam, leaving many stranded after collecting millions of naira.
The story headline reads, “BREAKING: After Raking In Millions Of Naira From Applicants, Osun Government Fails To Hold Teachers’ Recruitment Exams, Leaves Many Stranded”
“Some of the applicants at the Ilesa and Ede CB centres said that the batches one to four slated for 8 am to 11 am could not write the exams and waited till 3 pm, stranded and hungry without any explanation from the state officials. The same situation was reported by Osogbo, Ikire, and Ile Ife centres,” part of SaharaReporters’ story reads.
According to SaharaReporters, at about 3 pm, they learned that the officials began to lock the CBT centres after no exams were held.
DUBAWA, however, conducted this verification to set the record straight.
Verification
We discovered that Osun State University was the examination’s consulting partner and that the test was scheduled to be held in 13 centres across the state.
Although the applicants paid N2,000 naira each for the exam, many sat for it. The exam was conducted in 11 centres out of 13. The centres are Ede, Ile-Ife, Ibokun, Iwo, Ilesa, Erin Osun, Redeemer University CBT Center, Adeleke University CBT Center, and Special Needs Primary School, Osogbo. The remaining two centres where the test did not occur were Ikire and Osogbo.
Some applicants from different centres where the exam was held shared their experiences with DUBAWA.
“My Centre was Adeleke University, Ede. It was on Thursday, March 28. My CBT was supposed to be at 8:45 a.m. (Batch 2) that day. I was able to enter for the test around 12pm” Yomi Aregbesola said.
Another applicant, Adegbite Isiaka Adewale, said he took his test on March 28th, and it was okay.
“I did my own on the second day of the exam Batch A, Scream 2, Tescom at Osun State University CBT centre. The first day was not very okay, but the second day was a better experience. I was supposed to write at around 8 a.m., but I entered the exam hall at around 11 a.m. There were server issues the first day, Wednesday, but Thursday was very okay,” Adegbite Isiaka Adewale said.
Also, Okanlawon Eunice, who sat for her exam in Ile-Ife, stated that the day was okay and there were no hitches for her and other applicants.
“I got to my CBT centre as early as 8 a.m., had my exam done, and left around noon,” Okanlawon Eunice said.
“I wrote the exam in Ikire CBT centre. It was okay, and I left the venue on time,” Sadiq Jimoh said.
The University’s spokesperson, Ademola Adesoji, explained the situation in a statement shared with DUBAWA as due to a technical error.
Unexpectedly, our server was attacked at midnight today. We responded technically, and frustrated attempts to hack into the core software and questions bank. The damage done to the server took time to be resolved. This is the reason that the start of exams was unduly delayed and had to be rescheduled for two centres out of thirteen centres.
“Our joy is that the hackers or opposers of this recruitment process have failed in their attempts to frustrate us. It has been a tough battle in the last eight or so in our effort to ensure the success of the Osun state government,” the statement reads partly.”
Also, the University that consulted on the test confirmed that the test was conducted in 11 out of 13 centres.
Conclusion
DUBAWA findings show that the claim by Sahara Reporters stating that the Osun state recruitment test for teachers didn’t hold and that applicants were stranded is partly true.
The teachers’ recruitment test took place in 11 centres out of 13 centres in the state.
The researcher produced this fact-check for the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Olufisoye Adenitan, FRCN positive fm Akure Ondo state Nigeria, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.