“I’m Dying Installmentally” — Nine Years After Removal From Service, Kogi Ex-Director Cries Out for Justice
For nine years, Shaibu Muhammed Eyigege has lived what he describes as a slow and painful death.
Once a respected civil servant in the Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, Eyigege now battles hypertension, hunger, uncertainty and emotional trauma after being removed from service under controversial circumstances during the administration of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Sitting quietly in visible distress, the former Assistant Director could barely hold back tears as he recounted how life suddenly collapsed around him following a screening exercise that accused him of presenting a forged testimonial from the Kogi State College of Education Ankpa.
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His voice trembled repeatedly as he spoke.
“At some point, I felt like taking my own life because the suffering became unbearable,” he said emotionally. “But as a Muslim, suicide is a sin. That is the only reason I did not do it.”
Then came the painful confession that captured the depth of his despair.
“I know my time is close, very near. So why should I take my life? I will wait for God’s appointed time,” he said in tears.
For Eyigege, each passing day has become a struggle for survival.
The father of 14, with two wives and an extended family depending on him, said feeding has become one of the greatest challenges of his life. According to him, all his children have dropped out of school because he can no longer afford their education.
“We are dying installmentally,” he lamented.
Eyigege, who hails from Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State, was employed into the state civil service in 1987 with a Teachers Grade II Certificate.
Over the years, he improved himself academically, obtaining an NCE in Agriculture, a degree in Agriculture and rising steadily through the ranks until he became an Assistant Director on Grade Level 14 in the Ministry of Agriculture.
He was due for retirement in 2022.
However, everything changed during the civil service screening exercise conducted about nine years ago.
According to him, the committee accused him of presenting a forged testimonial from the College of Education, Ankpa — an allegation he insists was baseless.
“The same committee screened all my academic certificates from the same institution without any issue,” he explained. “My NCE certificate, degree certificate and even my Grade II certificate were accepted.”
He argued that a testimonial is not a requirement for employment under the civil service scheme and therefore should not have been used as grounds for his removal from service.
“A testimonial cannot be used for employment, promotion, grading or screening. So why should it be used to remove me from service?” he asked.
Eyigege further revealed that after years of appeals, the institution in question later confirmed that the testimonial was genuine and duly issued by them. Yet, according to him, no effort was made to reinstate him.
“I have written several letters to the Office of the Head of Service and the Civil Service Commission, but nothing has happened,” he said.
He added that despite being effectively removed from service, he was never officially issued a disengagement letter.
“The only communication I received was a letter asking me to retire,” he disclosed.
Since then, he said he has received neither salary arrears nor gratuity, and has not been placed on pension despite reaching retirement age four years ago.
The prolonged uncertainty, he noted, has severely affected his health.
“I am hypertensive now because of excessive thinking and stress. I am permanently on blood pressure drugs,” he said.
Eyigege appealed to the Kogi State Government to show compassion and revisit his case.
“My prayer is that government should pay my salary arrears, gratuity and place me on pension so I can survive the rest of my life in peace,” he pleaded.
Efforts to obtain clarification from the Office of the Head of Service on the matter were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, MAY 22ND 2026)
