A Federal Commissioner at the Federal Character Commission representing Enugu State, Peter Ogbonna Eze, has declared that the Commission will no longer tolerate the practice of “job selling” in federal recruitment processes.
Eze said the current leadership of the Commission, headed by Executive Chairman Hulayat Omidiran, has introduced reforms aimed at ensuring transparency, fairness and equal access to federal employment opportunities for Nigerians.
Speaking during an interaction with select journalists in Abuja, Eze acknowledged that investigations by the Commission revealed that the illegal practice of selling federal government jobs had occurred in the past.
However, he stressed that the present leadership is focused on correcting the anomalies and restoring public confidence in the recruitment system.
“Investigations carried out by the Commission showed that such practices happened before, but the current leadership has adopted a zero-tolerance stance toward job racketeering,” Eze said.
According to him, the Commission is determined to eliminate the monetization of government jobs and ensure that only qualified applicants are considered during recruitment exercises.
Eze disclosed that one of the major reforms being pursued by the Commission is the compulsory public advertisement of vacancies by federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
He explained that making vacancies publicly available would discourage secret recruitment and prevent the illegal sale of positions.
“When vacancies are properly advertised, citizens become aware of the opportunities and can apply based on their interests and qualifications,” he said.
“This will discourage backdoor recruitment and the monetization of federal jobs.”
The commissioner also revealed that the Commission is reviewing waiver arrangements often granted to MDAs during recruitment exercises to ensure they are not abused.
According to him, the reforms are designed to expand opportunities for Nigerians from all socio-economic backgrounds, including those who cannot afford to pay for jobs.
Eze urged citizens to take advantage of legitimate recruitment opportunities, noting that data obtained by the Commission showed relatively low participation from some regions during certain federal recruitment exercises, including police recruitment.
While assuring Nigerians of the Commission’s commitment to equitable representation in federal institutions, he expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms would soon produce visible results.
“We are determined to make improvements from whatever had been happening before. It will not be business as usual,” he said.
