The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Gbansheya Buma, has been accused of allocating two employment slots to each member of the state House of Assembly for positions involving nurses and other essential health workers under the state’s Health Services Management Board.
The arrangement has raised questions about the role of lawmakers in the recruitment process, particularly after Hon. Joseph Kannoh Kassong, who represents Yorro State Constituency and chairs the House Committee on Health Services, confirmed that he compiled and submitted a list of recommended candidates following the commissioner’s directive.
Kassong, however, also disclosed that the commissioner invited members of the House of Assembly to explain the eligibility requirements for candidates they were expected to recommend for the available positions.
The development comes amid concerns over the involvement of political officeholders in the allocation of employment opportunities in the state’s health sector, where qualified professionals are needed to provide essential medical services.
According to Kassong, the commissioner gave each lawmaker two slots and authorised the House to submit the names of eligible candidates through the chairman of the House Committee on Health Services.
Explaining how the process unfolded, Kassong said the commissioner had invited members of the House of Assembly and outlined the professional qualifications required for the positions.
He said the eligible candidates were expected to include registered nurses, nursing and midwifery professionals, radiographers, dental surgeons and medical laboratory technicians, among other health professionals.
Kassong explained that, after the meeting, the commissioner directed lawmakers to submit their recommended candidates to him as chairman of the House Committee on Health Services so that he could compile the names and return the list for the commissioner’s consideration.
“The plain truth was that it was not the House of Assembly that recommended the slots for employment under the Health Services Management Board. The Honourable Commissioner of Health, Taraba State, gave Honourable members two slots each,” Kassong said.
He added that the commissioner had been invited to the House of Assembly, where he explained the eligibility requirements for the candidates lawmakers were expected to recommend.
“He explained the eligible candidates we should submit, such as candidates with qualifications as RN, nursing and midwifery, radiology, dental surgeons, medical laboratory technicians, and that he would recommend just a few candidates who have qualifications as public health professionals,” Kassong said.
According to the lawmaker, the commissioner subsequently authorised members of the House to submit the names of their eligible candidates to the chairman of the House Committee on Health Services.
“The Honourable Commissioner authorised the House to submit their eligible recommended candidates to the House Committee Chairman on Health Services to prepare the replacement list of members, and that was what I did as chairman. I sent the list of candidates back for his consideration,” he said.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, the Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Gbansheya Buma, could not be reached by phone and did not respond to the message sent to him.
SaharaReporters previously reported that controversy has erupted in Taraba State following allegations that members of the state House of Assembly were given slots to recommend candidates for vacancies advertised by the Taraba State Health Services Management Board, raising concerns about the transparency and fairness of the recruitment process.
A document obtained by SaharaReporters indicates that lawmakers recommended candidates for positions involving nurses and other essential health workers, prompting questions about whether political connections influenced access to public-sector employment.
Among the names listed is Precious Nuhu Akila, reportedly recommended by Hon. Nuhu Akila Rantio, the lawmaker representing Lau State Constituency in the Taraba State House of Assembly.
Another candidate, Gassana Joseph Kassong, was reportedly recommended by Hon. Joseph Kannoh Kassong, who represents Yorro State Constituency and chairs the House Committee on Health.
SaharaReporters learnt that both candidates are daughters of the lawmakers who nominated them.
The document also lists Mark Titong Lawrence as a candidate recommended by Hon. Abdulzees S. Titong, the lawmaker representing Sardauna I State Constituency. Although the two share the surname Titong, SaharaReporters could not independently establish whether they were related as of the time of filing this report.
The reported recommendations have raised questions about whether qualified applicants were given equal opportunities or whether political influence played a role in the selection process.
The Board had advertised vacancies for nurses and other essential health workers, whose services are crucial to healthcare delivery across Taraba State, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
A source within the Board, who spoke to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over what they described as an unequal arrangement, questioning why the children of politicians should be recommended for public-sector jobs while other qualified applicants without influential connections struggle to secure similar opportunities.