Senate Initiates Probe into Alleged Biased Recruitment in Federal Civil Service

By Iyojo Ameh

The Nigerian Senate has taken a step in response to allegations of uneven recruitment practices within the Federal Civil Service, in an effort to address growing concerns of unfair hiring, the Senate has assigned the Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

The Senate’s decision comes following the consideration and approval of a motion titled “Urgent Need to Ensure Federal Character Principle, Curb Lopsidedness, and Emerging Infractions in the Recruitment and Deployment of Officers by the Federal Civil Service Commission and Related Agencies.

Senator Zam underscored the important role of the Federal Civil Service Commission in recruiting and placing qualified officers within the federal civil service. He emphasized that the commission’s objective of building a highly focused, disciplined, committed, and patriotic civil service hinges on the just and equitable recruitment of applicants through the advertisement of job vacancies.

Expressing concern about what he described as a “counter-productive malady,” Senator Zam alluded to reports of illegal recruitment and employment practices that have recently surfaced within the commission. He further noted that this issue has permeated various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), impacting several segments of the civil service.

Senator Zam argued that failure to promptly address this situation and adhere to the Federal Character principle could undermine the cohesion of the civil service, resulting in adverse consequences for governance and service delivery.

Several other senators who participated in the debate expressed their support for the motion, emphasizing the need to address the marginalization of constituents in public service jobs.

Senator Zam specifically pointed out that, in some cases, his home state of Benue did not receive a fair allocation of employment opportunities in the Federal Civil Service. Moreover, even when positions were allocated, they often failed to reflect the state’s diversity, with certain regions being favored over others. This imbalance has led to a lack of proper representation for Benue State in federal ministries, which the senator sought to address through the motion.

The investigation by the Senate’s Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters is expected to shed light on the alleged recruitment irregularities and formulate recommendations to ensure fairness and compliance with the Federal Character principle in the federal civil service recruitment process.