Mr. Akinade Alamu, the Chairman of the Oyo State Post-Primary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), says the ongoing data capturing of the newly-recruited teachers in the state is not targeted at any group or religion.

The chairman made the clarification in a statement he personally signed in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Alamu, while reacting to the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) objection to holding the exercise on Monday and Tuesday on the grounds that the two days had been declared as Sallah holidays, said that the exercise had been fixed long before the holidays were announced.

He also stated that the exercise is an ongoing process that was not meant to punish anybody.

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

“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.

“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 celebration.

“The exercise is not only for the Teaching Service Commission but for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that conducted recruitment since the beginning of Gov. 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,” Alamu stated.