War In Civil Service, Over Jonathan’s Last-Minute Recruitment

The crisis within the Federal Civil Service has taken a new turn as workers protest against the last-minute recruitment of 530 relatives and friends of former President Goodluck Jonathan into the civil service by the past administration.

To make matters worse, these new recruits were placed in very high position even without experience. According to reports, most of these new employees were installed into the positions ranging  from assistant directors upward.

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The situation has divided the civil service as many senior civil servants are said to be unhappy with the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

Action  have been filed at the National Industrial Court by Six deputy directors in the federal civil service who stormed court to  protest the manner at which the employment process of these individuals were handled. They are Dr. John Magbadelo, Mrs. Ada Ihechukwu Madubuike, Mrs. Ganiat Ayodele, Mr. Olusegun Oginni, Mrs. Janet Ayorinde and Mr. Otajele Musa.

It was discovered that between April 11 and the May 29 handover date, 530 persons from different backgrounds were unscrupulously appointed into the civil service.

According to Punch, a director in one of the sensitive ministries lamented that relatives of the FCSC officials, numerous aides of the former President Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and ministers were brought into service through ‘Crafty Schemes‘.

In his words, “These new recruits are placed on very high grades as assistant directors, deputy directors, and directors”

The Director who refused to disclose his name complained that these mystery appointments were made through a “regularisation window’’, which the FCSC backdated to December, 2014.

“Through regularisation, fresh graduate appointees were placed on Grade Level 12 instead of Grade Level 08, while some others were upgraded to very high levels in defiance of extant rules. We now have letters of regularisation flying around the ministries.

“No fewer than 530 people are being regularised into the service from different backgrounds, including unscheduled private enterprises. These atrocities are responsible for the depletion of vacancies, which ought to be utilised for the promotion of deserving serving officers in the federal civil service.”

Also confirming this is Mr. Alade Lawal, Secretary-General of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria. According to him, there had been rampant cases of illegal recruitment into the civil service.

He believed the recruitment process of the FCSC was bastardised during the past administration as the Presidency gave directives to grant waiver to some states

He said, “But the commission cannot hide under a Presidential waiver to recruit incompetent and unqualified persons into the federal public service and impose them as seniors on those with higher qualifications, experience and competence. We have never had it so bad.

“One of the negative results of this ill-advised policy is that directors, who have served the country meritoriously for decades, cannot rise to the peak of their careers as all manner of persons are recruited into the service to take over top positions, including that of permanent secretaries and general managers.

“These illegal recruits are then made permanent secretaries after about two or three years. This is very unfortunate as it demoralizes dedicated officers who no longer see any future in the service. The ASCSN has engaged the FCSC on the vexed issue and all indications point to the fact that the recruitment were deliberately made,” Lawal stated.

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He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to ensure that the FCSC abide by the public service rules, establishments circulars, scheme of service, and its guidelines on appointment, promotion and discipline in respect of recruitment into the public service.

“If urgent step is not taken to reverse this trend of illegal recruitment into the public service, the system may collapse and the government will not be able to effect the type of change it wants in the polity since the public service is the engine room that oils the wheels of government.”

The past administration has faced heavy criticism at the spate in which the level of unemployment increased.

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