No fewer than 156,000 applications was received in the ongoing recruitment exercise to fill 10,600 teaching and non-teaching vacancies in the state public schools, the Oyo State Government revealed.
The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, made the disclosure on Tuesday, while addressing newsmen at the end of the weekly state executive council meeting.
Olaleye said that 91,000 job seekers applied for the 7,000 vacant teaching positions, while 65,000 submitted applications for 3,600 vacancies in the non-teaching sector.
He said the process for the conduct of Computer Based Tests (CBT) for all qualified applicants was ongoing, saying that the CBT would likely hold in April after through scrutiny of the applications.
The commissioner urged all the applicants not to fall into the hands of scammers and fraudulent individuals claiming to assist them in getting job.
He said that getting the teaching and non-teaching jobs advertised would be purely on merit, stressing that competence and academic qualifications would be looked into.
Meanwhile, Dr Bashir Bello, the state Commissioner for Health, said that the state government had set aside five centres, where any suspected Coronavirus-infected individuals would be quarantined.
According to him, the centres are State Hospital, Adeoyo, Ibadan; Jericho Chest Hospital, Ibadan; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho; University College Hospital, Ibadan and Army Barracks Clinic, Odogbo.
Bello also said surveillance centres had been earmarked in each of the 33 local government areas, while rapid response department had been created in all the zones in the state.
The commissioner said that government was on high alert to curtail any possible outbreak of Coronavirus in the state, saying it had also notified all the hotels and hospitals on precautionary measures to adopt in case of any reported case.
He further said government had intensified awareness in market and other public places to educate the people on the virus.
Bello also disclosed that the state executive had approved the purchase of 10 ambulances, including three that would be specially used for intensive care with required equipment.
He said that the remaining seven ambulances would be distributed to each of the seven zones in the state to enhance healthcare delivery.