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 are 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.
The source also questioned the rationale for allowing lawmakers to recommend candidates for positions in the public health sector, particularly when the vacancies had been advertised for applicants seeking employment in essential healthcare roles.
The allegations have renewed concerns about the involvement of political officeholders in public-service recruitment and whether such arrangements could undermine merit-based selection and equal access to employment.
Public-sector recruitment is generally expected to follow established eligibility criteria, professional qualification requirements and transparent selection procedures. However, the document raises questions about the process through which candidates were recommended and whether all applicants were assessed under the same conditions.
SaharaReporters’ attempt to obtain comments from Hon. Joseph K. Kassong, chairman of the Taraba State House of Assembly Committee on Health and representative of Yorro State Constituency, was unsuccessful.
Kassong neither answered a phone call placed to him nor responded to a message seeking his reaction to the allegations and the reported recommendation of his daughter, Gassana Joseph Kassong, for a position in the recruitment exercise.
As of the time of filing this report, he had not responded to the inquiry.