80% CBT Score, Oral Interview & No Job: Visually Impaired Akwa Ibom Educationist Appeals To Eno

By ARIT OTONG UBOK

A Recruitment Process Under Scrutiny

A visually impaired educationist in Akwa Ibom State, Onodiong Usen, has appealed to Governor Umo Eno for intervention after he was not selected for a teaching appointment despite scoring 80 per cent in the state civil service Computer-Based Test.

Usen, 37, said he also participated in the oral interview after meeting the prescribed benchmark. According to him, he answered the question put to him during the interview and expected his academic qualifications and teaching experience to strengthen his chances of securing an appointment.

His complaint has now raised questions about how the final candidates were selected from the recruitment exercise.

The state government had presented the process as a merit-based exercise designed to give qualified applicants an equal opportunity. More than 37,000 people reportedly applied, while 33,461 eventually sat for the CBT. Of that number, 12,502 candidates who scored at least 50 per cent progressed to the oral interview stage.

The 80 Per Cent Result

Usen said the 50 per cent benchmark enabled candidates to proceed to the oral interview.

He therefore considered his 80 per cent CBT score a strong indication that he remained competitive.

According to him, the examination covered Verbal Reasoning, Basic Computer Skills and Current Affairs. His result reportedly carried an “Excellent” remark.

He said the oral interview was equally straightforward.

“I did excellently well in the oral interview. I was asked only one question – what is a cell? And I answered it. My credentials are okay,” he said.

However, the subsequent selection did not produce the outcome he expected.

Usen said he was particularly troubled by what he described as an apparent disparity involving another visually impaired candidate who, according to him, sat before the same interview panel and eventually received an appointment.

He alleged that the other candidate did not answer the interview question but was nevertheless selected.

That claim, however, has not been independently established and should be subjected to verification by the relevant authorities.

Disability Inclusion Becomes a Key Question

The case has also brought disability inclusion into focus.

During the CBT exercise, the government reportedly gave persons with disabilities additional time. While other candidates were allocated 40 minutes, persons with disabilities were allowed up to one hour, according to figures previously released by government officials.

The arrangement was intended to accommodate candidates whose disabilities might affect the speed at which they completed the computer-based examination.

Against that background, Usen’s case raises a different question: whether reasonable accommodation during an examination was followed by equal consideration during the final recruitment process.

Government figures had also indicated that only one candidate with a disability scored at least 60 per cent during the CBT. Usen’s reported 80 per cent score therefore creates an apparent discrepancy that the recruitment authorities may need to clarify.

The discrepancy does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing. Nevertheless, it creates a legitimate basis for seeking clarification about the candidate’s result, his progression through the recruitment process and the criteria applied during final selection.

A Decade of Teaching Experience

Usen’s appeal goes beyond his examination performance.

He said he spent about 10 years teaching Human Anatomy at the School of Nursing, Anua, now the College of Nursing Science, between 2012 and 2022.

According to him, he served voluntarily and depended largely on school allowances during that period.

He also taught at institutions affiliated with Ibom Metropolitan Polytechnic, Uyo, including City and Guilds and Gregory University.

Currently, he runs a nursing preparatory centre where he helps candidates prepare for entrance examinations.

His academic qualifications, he said, include a first degree in Human Anatomy from the University of Uyo, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the same institution and a master’s degree from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

He further said he graduated with a 4.57 CGPA in his PGDE and 4.50 in his master’s programme.

Living & Teaching With Progressive Visual Impairment

Usen’s visual impairment, according to him, has progressively worsened since childhood.

He explained that he was not completely blind and was previously able to read, write and publish books independently.

However, the deterioration of his sight has changed how he works.

He now relies on an assistant to support some of his academic and professional activities.

Despite the condition, Usen said he developed teaching methods that allowed him to continue working.

He explained that his area of teaching did not always require extensive board work. Instead, he prepared teaching materials in text form and used them as the basis for instruction.

That approach also contributed to his involvement in publishing.

Eventually, however, the progression of his visual impairment made independent writing increasingly difficult.

Appeal for Government Intervention

Usen said he has already written to the state government about his non-selection but has yet to receive a response.

He plans to submit another letter.

In a social-media appeal, he directly asked Governor Eno to intervene and consider his situation.

His plea came as the state government was expanding public-sector recruitment.

In September, Eno approved appointment letters for 4,000 successful civil service candidates and separately approved the recruitment of an additional 2,000 teachers. The government said the broader recruitment was intended to strengthen manpower and address staffing needs across the state.

The governor has also since declared a state of emergency in education and reaffirmed the recruitment of 2,000 additional teachers as part of efforts to strengthen the education sector.

The Questions That Remain

Usen’s case now places the recruitment authorities before several questions.

Was his 80 per cent CBT score correctly captured in the final recruitment database?

Did he meet all the other requirements for the teaching position?

What criteria did the interview panel apply after the CBT?

How were candidates with disabilities considered during the final selection?

And, importantly, was there any administrative reason why a candidate who claims to have met the stated requirements was not appointed?

Those questions do not establish discrimination or irregularity. They do, however, warrant a transparent explanation.

For Usen, the matter is personal. For the wider public, it touches on something broader: whether government recruitment exercises can deliver the fairness, transparency and equal opportunity they promise.

The responsibility now rests with the relevant authorities to provide clarity, examine the records and explain the outcome.

For a candidate who says he met the benchmark, answered the interview question and possesses years of teaching experience, that explanation could determine whether the recruitment process is seen as genuinely merit-based or simply as another public appointment exercise whose final decisions remain difficult for unsuccessful candidates to understand.