Secret Recruitment: Job Scandal Rocks Nigerian Senate

Recruitment Crisis Rocks Senate

The decision by the Senate Committee on Federal Character to investigate alleged cases of secret employment by some federal government agencies is said to be causing disaffection in the Senate.

It was gathered that some of the affected agencies had allocated slots to some lawmakers but the slots were cornered by the principal officers.

Some aggrieved Senators are said to be challenging the alleged decision of the Senate leadership to corner the allocated slots.

The bitter lawmakers are also said to be aggrieved that such lopsided appointments do not reflect the federal character requirement as embedded in the nation’s constitution.

According to sources quoted by Punch, the lawmakers are aggrieved that the Senate leadership shared the 100 slots allegedly given the Senate by the Federal Inland Revenue Service among themselves.

“We were given 100 slots by the FIRS but our leaders shared the slots among themselves.” A Senator from the South-West, said on condition of anonymity,

A ranking senator from the North-West also said, “We have information that one of the leaders gave 26 slots to people in his senatorial district. There is a problem in the Senate already, because the leadership has cornered jobs meant for the entire Nigerians.

“Does it mean that you must know a senator before you get a job? Nothing is being done on merit. How will you get the best brains?

“The implication of this is that many people are being offered employment without undergoing any interview.

“They give them appointment letters because they know the leaders of the Senate. How can a single senatorial district get 26 slots when others have nothing?”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character, Danjuma La’ah, while speaking with journalists on Tuesday said his committee is probing the allegations that some agencies had been secretly recruiting without advertising the jobs.

He further revealed that he was aware that some agencies had been boasting that nothing would come out of the (secret recruitment) probe because they had allegedly reached out to the leaders of the Senate.

La’ah said, “We are hearing that some agencies will not honour our invitation because they have connection with the Senate leadership. I am not aware that any agency gave out employment slots to the Senate.

“The leadership has not told us that they received any slot.

“As the chairman of this committee, who is also representing Kaduna South, I am not in any way aware that we have been given any employment slots, so we are going ahead with our probe.

“I have taken it upon myself that I will probe deeply into the agencies’ claims and carry out an extensive investigation. We are going to expose all those that are tarnishing the image of the Federal Government.

“We are aware that some of the agencies are selling employment slots for as much as N1.5m when we have children who have not got jobs since they graduated.

“Some have become bandits and terrorists because the jobs meant for them have been cornered by some greedy people. Young educated Nigerians are joining Boko Haram because of a lack of jobs.”

The affected agencies are expected to appear before the federal character committee this week.

Naija News understands apart from the FIRS, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, National Space Research and Development Agency, the National Open University and the Federal Civil Service Commission will all appear before the Senate committee.