The Nation Newspaper

Tag: recruitment

  • Kwara to penalise indicted workers in recruitment racket

    The five civil servants indicted for alleged illegal recruitment of 971 workers into the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) will face disciplinary action, it was learnt.

    Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Musa Yeketi, who addressed reporters after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting, said the culprits recruited more workers than approved by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

    He said two of them were retired, adding that the officials had been referred to the Office of the Head of Service (HoS) for punishment in accordance with civil service rules.

    On the affected workers, Yeketi said the council directed that the approved 449 be regularised, while 971 be reviewed in line with the needs of the commission in Mathematics, English and other core science subjects.

  • Why recruitment of 10,000 policemen was suspended, by Senator

    Why recruitment of 10,000 policemen was suspended, by Senator

    Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim, yesterday said that the proposed recruitment of 10,000 police personnel by the federal government was suspended due to sharp disagreement over the criteria for the exercise.

    Ibrahim told reporters in Abuja while some stakeholders wanted local government areas to be the basis for the recruitment, others insisted equality of states should serve as the basis for the exercise.

    The Katsina South lawmaker said that there were also some legal impediments to the exercise.

    He noted that some people felt that the police should recruit from Inspectorate cadre downwards while the Police Service Commission should issue letters of appointment to the recruits.

    He said that the issues had not been fully resolved warranting temporary suspension of the recruitment exercise.

    Ibrahim, who said President Muhammadu Buhari has already intervened in the disagreement, assured that within a week the issue would be resolved.

    He noted that there was no truth in the speculation that the National Assembly wanted to take over the recruitment.

    He said: “Honestly, it (recruitment exercise) has to be suspended for two obvious reasons.

    “First, everybody knows that it was agreed that this recruitment must be done per local government.

    “The reason for that is that we are poised to give emphasis to community policing. The local governments are the smallest recognised units by the constitution.

    “So nine (recruits) per local government, they will form the nucleus for this community policing per local government.

    “The obstacle was equal per state. Some people felt that it is not representative of federal character.

    “The main argument is the police is divided into divisional units under a Divisional Police Officer (DPO). Most of these DPO are current with the local government areas.

    “Therefore, if the police want the recruitment to be based on local governments, they are right because the smallest units are the Divisional Police Units (DPU).

    “Now, the commission somehow decided differently and police also decided differently. So that is the first issue.

    “There is even this legal aspect that the police should recruit from Inspectors downwards and the commission approves and gives letters of appointment.

    “But the main issues are these disagreements. Police say it is per local government while the commission says it should be per state.

    “And we are saying the recruitment should be per local government for the recruits and the rank and files while the officers should be equality per state.

    “This is because the officers’ cadre goes anywhere but this rank and files, we want them to remain in their communities to form the nucleus of community policing.”

     

  • FG, NASS row stall recruitment of 10,000 police officers

    FG, NASS row stall recruitment of 10,000 police officers

    The recruitment of 10,000 into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is experiencing delay.

    It was learnt that the delay in the recruitment process may not be unconnected with disagreement between the legislative and executive arms of government.

    The National Assembly under the Police Affairs Committee in the Senate and House of Representatives resolved that recruitment should be on the basis of equality of local governments.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, it was gathered, however directed selection of qualified candidates should be based on equality of states as enshrined in the constitution and Federal Character principle.

    A reliable source in the Police Service Commission hinted that the conflicting directives have put both arms of government at loggerheads.

    The source also noted that the Commission is being pressurised to do their bidding.

    Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, has ordered that the recruitment processes should be put on hold pending until executive and the legislature iron out their differences.

    President Muhammadu Buhari last year ordered that 10,000 Police Officers be recruited to address the dwindling man power problem.

    The Police Service Commission embarked on the recruitment process through the use of cutting hedge IT, an exercise described as the first of its kind in Nigeria.

    When the recruitment portal closed to applicants, the Commission disclosed one million applicants indicated interest for various positions advertised.

    Out of the 1million application submitted, 400,000 applicants were shortlisted for physical screening.

    Out of the 400,000 applicants, about 160,000 applicants were invited for Aptitude Test, which consisted of specialists and general duty personnel.

    To ensure smooth selection process of 10,000 qualified personnel from the shortlisted candidates, the commission moved to Jigawa State for the final selection.

     

     

  • Police recruitment: Aptitude test begins today

    The Police Service Commission ( PSC) will conduct aptitude test for shortlisted applicants for recruitment into the police today.

    This is contained in a statement by its Mr Ikechukwu Ani, head, Press and Public Relations, yesterday, in Abuja.

    Ani said coordinators for the exercise were already in their states of deployment to ensure success of the process.

    He said commission Chairman Mr Mike Okiro had advised successful applicants yet to receive invitation via e-mail, to check their names at the police command headquarters in their states.

    He said the list containing names of invited applicants were pasted in all state command Headquarters.

    The spokesman said the commission would ensure that no successful and qualified candidate would be left out.

    PSC shortlisted 110,469 of 338,250 for the aptitude test from 991,438 applications received.

    The 110,469 applicants comprise 22,454 for Cadet ASPs, 24,456 for Cadet Inspectors and 63,559 for Constables.

  • Recruitment: Police shortlist 110,000

    Recruitment: Police shortlist 110,000

    A total of 110,469 applicants have been shortlisted by the Police Service Commission (PSC) for the next phase of recruitment into the force, Chairman  of the commission, Mr Mike Okiro, said yesterday.

    The 110,469 are the  lucky ones from the 338, 250 invited for the recent screening in the 36 state commands  and FCT.

    The next phase of the exercise is an aptitude test scheduled to begin on Monday,August 22.

    22, 454 of the 110, 469 applicants are shortlisted for Cadet ASPs, 24,456 for Cadet Inspectors and 63,559 for Police Constables.

    Okiro said that aptitude test for cadet ASPs for general duty and specialists will begin on August 22 while that of Cadet Inspectors for both general duty and specialists will hold on August 23.

    He said that the test for police constables for both cadres would take place on August 24.

    According to him,the physical screening of specialists is scheduled for August 29 after they will have taken the aptitude tests.

    Okiro said that the commission adhered strictly to the requirements needed from the applicants for the exercise.

    He said that some of the applicants were screened out for over age, alteration and falsification of documents and year of graduation.

    The others included physical features, tattoo marks, first school leaving certificate, certificate of state of origin and class of degree or diploma.

    He said that over 115 applicants who were arrested during the screening for forgery and impersonation were handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

    The chairman restated the commission’s desire to sustain the integrity of the exercise, saying that questions for the tests would only be disclosed to the coordinators on the examination date.

    He reassured Nigerians that the exercise would be transparent and all applicants would be given equal opportunities to pursue a career in the police.

    Okiro warned that any candidate caught undermining the integrity of the exercise would be prosecuted in line with extant laws.

    He said that emails have been sent to all shortlisted applicants, adding that the master list for each state had been sent to all state commands to paste at command headquarters and examination centres.

    The commission received 911,438 applications, comprising 262, 462 for cadet ASPs,  211,832 for cadet Inspectors and 437,144 for police constables and shortlisted 338,250 for the screening.

  • Police recruitment

    •States, not local govts should be basis for hiring of 10,000 officers

    One of the most significant decisions taken by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration since assumption of office is the ongoing process of recruiting 10, 000 new officers and men into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The crime rate across the country has over the last decade reached alarming proportions. Large swathes of the polity are under the suffocating grip of armed robbers, kidnappers, communal gangs, murderous Fulani herdsmen, assassins, pipeline vandals, cultists and sundry other criminal elements.

    The surge in crime is partly a function of the glaring incapacity of the NPF to effectively undertake its professional mandate of maintaining internal security and safeguarding lives and property. Apart from such factors as poor funding, inadequate equipment and logistics as well as low morale, the organisational efficacy of the police is hobbled by shortage of manpower.

    As at t December 31, 2015, the NPF had a total staff strength of 305,000 police men and women, including 1,331 cadets in training as well as specialist branches and civilian support staff to serve a population of approximately 160 million people. This comes to 205 policemen per 100, 000 persons. The global average for policemen per 100, 000 persons is 340 while the United Nations recommends a minimum of 220 policemen per 100, 000 people. Although still insufficient, the current exercise is a commendable step towards attaining the desired optimum police staff strength.

    When the exercise commenced, the Police Service Commission (PSC) received 911, 438 applications of which 338, 227 were shortlisted. A breakdown of the shortlisted candidates shows that 44,661 were for the position of Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), 87,830 for Cadet Inspector cadre and 205, 830 Police Constables. At the end of the day, however, vacancies only exist for 500 Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, 500 Cadet Inspectors, 1,500 Specialist Officers and 7, 500 Constables.

    So far, the process has, from all indications, been efficient, orderly and transparent. It has not been characterised by the kind of chaos, opaqueness and incompetence witnessed in the recent past during the tragic recruitment exercise into the National Immigration Service (NIS). The challenge for the Police Service Commission, however, is to ensure that it finishes the exercise as successfully as it started and with its integrity untainted. This is particularly because of fears expressed in some quarters that it intends to apply the constitutionally required Federal Character principle in public recruitment in a way that may be incompatible with the objectives of fairness and justice.

    The bone of contention appears to be whether the states or local governments should be the basis for allocating the 10,000 vacancies to be filled in order to ensure equity and balance among the component parts of the federation. If the local governments constitute the units for allocating spaces, the outcome may be quite arbitrary and unjustly skewed. In that case, for instance, states like Kano, Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Imo, Jigawa and Osun, with comparatively higher number of local government councils will enjoy undue advantage.

    On the other hand, areas like the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bayelsa, Gombe, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Lagos and Ogun, among others, with lower number of local governments will be unjustifiably short-changed. The problem is that the distribution of local governments across states cannot be rationalised in terms of population, economic viability or any other scientific criterion.

    The extant local governments currently listed in the 1999 constitution are products of the military era when their creation was mostly characterised by favouritism, nepotism, sectional sentiments and other forms of impunity. The cause of justice, equity, balance and the overall public interest will best be served if the federating states are utilised to allocate the 10,000 slots to be filled.

  • Teachers’ recruitment and paper qualifications

    Sir: During my school days in the 80’s and early 90’s we didn’t have many of the so called “professional” or “trained” teachers. Some teachers who taught Mathematics were either graduates of Civil/Mechanical Engineering or Surveying; it was common to find graduates of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Physiology teaching Biology. We had a graduate of Economics who taught English Language, and a graduate of the French Language who taught us Agricultural Science. Even though these teachers weren’t “trained” or “qualified”, they all had one thing in common: the passion and enthusiasm to pass knowledge on the students. This passion made them to go extra mile to ensure the students digests, assimilates and imbibes what is taught. Theirenthusiasm and passion for impacting knowledge was the impetus which made them outstanding and their exploits result-oriented.

    Today, over 90 percent of “trained” and “qualified” teachers teaching in primary and post-primary schools are holders of either a National Certificate of Education (NCE), or a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.). Even the privately-owned schools are being compelled to recruit only trained teachers with the above qualifications in order to meet up with standards, yet the sharp decline in the quality and standard of education which has continued to manifest through poor performance in examinations and in the low quality of graduates have persisted and continued to ravage the Nigerian educational system. True, we may now have had “trained” and “qualified” teachers; passionate and enthusiastic teachers are nowhere to be found owing to the emphases on paper and certificate qualification.

    To catch up with the rest of the world and restore the good old days of the Nigerian education system, the need to put in place a deliberate plan to de-emphasize paper-qualification in the ongoing 500,000 teachers recruitment exercise by the federal government is inevitable. Teachers should be employed based on passion and enthusiasm for the job, ability to impact knowledge should be the yardstick rather than being a holder of a certificate of education. The fact that a person has an NCE or B.Ed does not really translate into his ability to impact knowledge. After all, many of the early missionaries who brought basic education into Nigeria didn’t have education certificates. No matter their course of study, Nigerians with passion for teaching should be encouraged to take up the job.

    Nigerian education administrators should take advantage of information and communication technology (ICT) to update teachers’ knowledge to meet up with the challenges and realities of modern teaching and learning. For instance, Osun State initiated the “OpónÌmò” (Tablet-of-Knowledge),equipped with modern educational curricula for distribution to students of senior secondary schools. The Federal Ministry of Education should explore how the OpónÌmò programme could be improved and integrated, because it is indeed a step in a right direction.

    Elsewhere in the world, there are constant and periodic reviews of schools’ curricula.We shouldn’t expect our students to perform well in examinations while we continue to teach them almost the same things their parents were taught when there were no ICT advancement, DSTV, computer games, and iPhones, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, twitter etc. Education stakeholders should put heads together to orchestrate a complete overhaul of the Nigerian education curricula at various levels in line with modern realities. A country is as developed as the level and standard of education of its citizens.

     

    • Hussain Obaro,

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • ‘NIS was ill-prepared for botched 2014 recruitment exercise’

    ‘NIS was ill-prepared for botched 2014 recruitment exercise’

    A former Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), David Paradang, said yesterday that the service was ill-prepared for the botched 2014 recruitment exercise in which about 20 job seekers died and 165 were  injured.

    Paradang spoke in Abuja yesterday while testifying for the second day in the trial of former Interior Minister, Abba Moro, and others before the Federal High Court.

    Moro is charged with a former Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobiaý, an ex-director in the ministry, Felix O. Alayebami, and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, on an 11-count charge.

    They are being tried over their alleged involvement in the botched 2014 recruitment exercise of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) while Moro was minister.

    They are accused of defrauding 675, 675 graduate applicants of about N675,675,000 having been made to pay N1000 each as processing fees for 5,000 (five thousand) job openings.

    The four defendants were also accused of breaching the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

    Testifying yesterday, Paradang told the court that service was not financially ready for the exercise.

    Paradang was Comptroller General of the NIS from June 2013 to August 2015, during which the botched recruitment exercise was conducted.

    Led in evidence by prosecution lawyer, Aliyu Yusuf, Paradang said: “We had no money to fund the recruitment exercise. But on 14 March, 2014, I was told by NIS zonal controllers that they had received N300, 000 each from the service’s board.

    On how he learnt about the day of the exercise, Paradang said: “At about the third week of January 2014 we were at the National Assembly with all the senior officers of the ministry when the 1st defendant (Moro) announced that March 15,  2014 has been fixed for recruitment exercises which was very surprising to all of us.

    “After we went back to the office and told the management team of the date of the recruitment exercise that was been announced by Morro we began to get ready,” Paradang said.

    He added that he was in Plateau State with Moro, on the day of the exercise, when he started receiving  text messages, informing him of the stampede at the venue of the recruitment exercise.

    “After this, there was  a national outcry and we went from ward to ward and promised to pay the bills thereafter.

     “ The National Assembly later  had an open hearing on the case. At the National Assembly, we were asked to state our position and the president spoke in sober mood to the nation.

    “The President set up a presidential committee to conduct a fresh exercise,” he said.

    In his ruling earlier, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba admitted documents containing the names of the board members and a memo containing their response concerning the recruitment exercise, which the defence team had opposed the previous day.

    Justice Dimgba dismissed the defence team’s objection and admitted the documents as evidence, but directed the prosecution to pay the required fees within seven days

    The judge held that the defect in the admissibility of the documents was curable through the payment of the requisite fees.

    He adjourned to July 1 and 5 for continuation of the trial.

  • Ex-Immigration boss denies involvement in botched 2014 recruitment

    A former Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), David Shikfu Paradang has denied involvement in the 2014 recruitment exercise  conducted by his agency which led to the death of about 20 job seekers.

    Paradang spoke yesterday while testifying as the first prosecution witness in the trial of former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and three others before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    Moro is being tried with a former Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia?, an ex-director in the ministry, Felix .O Alayebami and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, on an 11-count charge.

    They are being tried over their alleged involvement in the botched 2014 recruitment exercise of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) while Moro was Minister.

    They are accused of defrauding 675, 675 graduate applicants of about N675,675,000 having been made to pay N1000 each as processing fees for 5,000 (five thousand) job openings.

    The four defendants also were accused of breaching the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

    Paradang, who was led in evidence yesterday by prosecution lawyer, Aliyu Yusuf, said even as the head of NIS,  he was never involved in the planning and execution of the recruitment exercise, but only read about it in the media.

    He said his attention was drawn to a publication in one of the dailies – Sunday Trust – on September 9, in respect of a recruitment exercise purportedly being carried out by NIS

    Paradang said: “As the then Comptroller General of the NIS, I was neither aware of the ‘advertisement’ nor the recruitment exercise. So, it came to me as a surprise.”

    When asked what he did when he became aware of the exercise, the witness said  he called the Secretary of the NIS board, one Dr. Attahiru and asked if the agency was recruiting, to which the man responded ‘yes’.

    Paradnag, who said he was worried by Attahiru’s response, told the court that he further asked him (Attahiru) why he, as the head of the organisation, was not informed of the recruitment.

    He said  Attahiru told him not to worry. Paradang said he was unsatisfied, and later called two of the board members, who also claimed they were not aware of the exercise.

    Paradang stated that he wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Board, Dr Attahiru that same day, September 9, 2013, expressing his dismay over the advertisement placed for employment.

    At that point, defence lawyers, Chris Uche (SAN), Paul Erokoro (SAN), and Sunday Ameh (SAN) objected to admissibility of a copy of the letter and the witness’ pattern of evidence, saying its amounted to hearsay evidence.

    They argued that though the letter was  certified, necessary fees were not paid as required by law.

    The defence team argued that Paradang could not give details of what he was told by others who are not witnesses before the court.

    Erokoro (for Moro)  argued that though the document was certified, there was no evidence to show that the certification fee was paid as it carries no endorsement certificate

    He said, being a public document, it is not admissible as it has not met all the necessary conditions precedent to its admissibility.

    Uche (for Mrs Daniel-Nwobia) agreed with Erokoro’s position and urged the court to reject the document.

    Ameh (for Alayebami ) argued that the certification had to be done by the person who had the original of the letter, but it was done by the officer of the Ministry of Interior instead of the officer of the Civil Defence who was the Secretary of the board.

    Ameh added that the essence of certification is to show that the content of the document is the same as the original.

    Responding, Yusuf contended that the document, being relevant to the proceedings, is admissible as relevancy determines admissibility.

    He said, the witness (Paradang) had testified that he made the document and sent it to the Secretary of the Board.

    On the issue of fees payment,  Yusuf cited Section 104 of the Evidence Act to support his position that such requirement was not necessary in criminal proceedings.

    On the argument on who has custody of the document, Yusuf argued that the board is part and parcel of the Ministry of Interior and as such it is expected to superintend over the affairs of some parastatals under it.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba adjourned to June 10, 2016 for ruling and continuation of trial.

  • Recruitment of 5000 teachers begin next month, says Ngige

    Recruitment of 5000 teachers begin next month, says Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige has said the recruitment of 500,000 teachers by the Federal Government will begin next month.

    Speaking at the 105th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Ngige said the government would soon open a portal for interested Nigerians to apply.

    He said governors must cue into the programme since the schools are located in the states.

    The minister also laid to rest speculations that the various poverty alleviation programmes put in place by the Muhammadu Buhari administration were aimed at compensating loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who contributed to the success of the party in the 2015 general election.

    He said: “The programmes will take off immediately the cash backing is released. We have agreed that the first cash backing will be for the capital development, especially in areas like construction because they are the ones we expect to bring back the workers they have either laid off or stood up when they were being owed so that they can bring back their workers to site.

    “We also need to do the railways like the Lagos/Calabar and Lagos/Kano rail project so that people will go and work there. After that has been done, the cash backing for the programmes I have mentioned will be made. But the enrolment for the graduates will take off by next month when the portals will be opened for people to register.

    “After that, they will be screened and the successful one will be invited for interview and a special educational programme will be conducted for them and deployed to schools. The schools are located in the states and so, the state governments need to cue into the programme.

    “The programmes are not for APC loyalists. If you are an APC loyalist and don’t have a degree in geology, Agriculture, English or Political Science as the case may be, how can the programme be for you? The programmes are for Nigerians who are qualified and this qualification has no barrier. The person can be the son or a PDP chieftain or an APGA chieftain. There is no political coloration to this.”

    The minister urged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to consider the peculiar challenges of African countries in putting together their policies and programmes.

    He said: “You know that in Africa, the problem has always been poverty. That is why they name Africa the dark continent. Poverty is a major scourge on the African continent. In realisation of the fight against poverty decided to start the fight against corruption because corruption breeds poverty. That is why the government has enunciated six pillars with a view to eradicating poverty in the country. We say we have to increase employment.

    “The government intends to use the school feeding problem to decapitate school dropout syndrome which in the south east is male drop out. We will also do a micro credit scheme for women in particular, especially market women who did not complete secondary education. They will be encouraged to go into entrepreneurship where necessary in a loan revolving scheme.”