Akwa Ibom enmeshed in employment scandal

Members of the public have berated the Akwa Ibom State Government over what they allege is a strategic failure to open up employment opportunities in the state.

Unemployed Akwa Ibomites believe the recent employment of 1000 primary school teachers and 1000 secondary teachers was a far cry from any attempt to fill the vacuum created by retirement and bereavement in the past seven years.

Akwa Ibom people have therefore decried daily appearances of fresh persons recruited into the various ministries of government without due process.

Though the government through the Head of the State Civil Service, Mr. Effiong Essien has denied the development, applicants have come out to accuse the government of insincerity and double standards.

While some top government functionaries have feigned ignorance of the recruitment exercise saying they were not privy to any notice or declaration of vacancies, others have admitted to having received new recruits in their various ministries.

Sources alleged that some top government officials and politicians use their connection to secure employment for their cronies while some applicants pay a huge amount of money as bribes to some corrupt government officials to secure employment.

The officials, according to applicants who have parted with huge amounts of money to gain employment, receive between N200, 000 to N300, 000 as bribe.

One of the applicants, Mrs Enobong Akpaah disclosed that she paid N250, 000 to a top government official to secure a job but has not gotten the job.

“We are many who have paid money to get civil service job. I paid since April last year. Others who paid have resumed work. I am yet to get my employment letter,” she said.

Further checks revealed that the new employees are said to have been employed through the connection of top politicians close to the government adding that the approval for employment is usually signed with special biros in distinctive colour.

“We have seen new employees coming for documentation in our office almost daily. They are required to report for documentation as part of the requirements for eligibility for payroll,” a source said.

It was further gathered that the secret employment is not restricted to the state civil service but it was also being carried out in the local government service commission and even federal agencies in the state.

Another source said, “an employee recently came to be registered in our organisation as a professional member and we found out that the person has just been employed by the University.”

Both the Head of Civil Service, Mr Effiong Essien and chairman, civil service commission have denied the ongoing secret employment admitting however that those being employed were selected from the data bank of those who had earlier responded to its advertised vacancies.

Addressing the press recently, Comrade Ini Ememobong also denied that the state government was recruiting but did not make any reference to new employees that had reported at the ministry of information and Strategy.

(Daily Independent)