Secret Recruitments: CSOs give Head of Service seven days to resign

Some human rights groups under the auspices of Coalition of Civil Societies for Equity, Justice and Good Governance yesterday asked the Head of Service (HoS)of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, to resign within seven days over allegations of massive secret recruitments.

The convener of the group, Dr. Isa Abubakar, made the call in Abuja while addressing journalists on the embarrassing state of joblessness among qualified Nigerian youths.

Abubakar specifically alleged that the Head of Service was approving massive secret recruitments while at the same time, making Nigerians to believe that there was an indefinite embargo on employment.

The group also said the circular, which placed embargo on employment was adversely affecting the nation’s tertiary institutions which are currently suffering dearth of qualified academic and non-academic manpower.

However, when contacted, the Head of the Media Office of the HoS, Mr. Abdulganiyu Aminu, described the allegations against Yemi-Esan as malicious and wicked.

According to him, the HoS has not legal right to carry out any form of recruitment.

He said the office merel: issue guidelines to agencies on the procedure to follow in their recruitment drive.

Aminu said, “There is an embargo placed on employment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not the office of the office of the HoS that placed the embargo.

“However, critical sectors like health, security and higher institutions were exempted. Some of the affected sectors were being given waivers to recruit.

“It will be mischievous, malicious and wicked to say that the office of the HoS is engaging in secret recruitment. Nothing can be farther than the truth as that.

“It is a cheap blackmail and baseless allegation because the office of the HoS is not a recruitment agency.

“It only issue guidelines on establishment to the agencies to follow due procedure in their recruitment drive,” Aminu added

However, CSOs said: “Our investigations have thus far, revealed series of infractions ranging from corruption to stunting of some government institutions for selfish reasons that are opposed to national interest.

“Our concise investigations have thrown up issues that cannot be thrown under the carpet hence this press conference. We have over the time wondered why some federal tertiary institutions have continued to lose accreditation from the regulatory agencies.

To our dismay, we have discovered the root cause.

“For any federal institution to employ, it is mandatory to write and seek waiver from the Office of the Head of Service.

“When heads of institutions who are insistent on following due process write to the Head of Service, their efforts are always and consistently frustrated,” he further alleged.

He listed the cases of University of Calabar, Federal University, Wukari, Federal University Dutse, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and other federal Institutions and agencies across Nigeria.

He said: “This has created so many hurdles for many government agencies, Universities and other tertiary institutions.Many institutions are grossly understaffed leading to extra workload for the few that are already in the system.

“The impact of this is that students are not going to get the best teaching they deserve and lecturers cannot adequately combine the work of teaching, research and community work effectively.

“This is totally unacceptable and must not be accepted from an administration that has fought corruption headlong.”

The group further alleged that many institutions had lost accreditations because of manpower shortages.

It cited the case of University of Abuja where students that graduated from such courses suffer unjustly for no faults of theirs.

The group alleged that, “while the HoS is denying waivers to institutions to employ, she has secretly been conducting recruitment through the backdoor in direct contravention of the Civil Service rules.”

It added: “She must therefore be sacked from service since she has constituted a stumbling block to the President Muhammadu Buhari anti corruption campaign.”

The group recalled that the Senate had previously questioned the HoS over what it termed, lopsided and illegal appointments into the civil service.

It lamented that despite the Senate declaration, “this did not deter the Head of Service.”

The group said: “As watchdogs of the society, we shall not hesitate to occupy the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, seven days from today if Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan fails to honourably vacate the office or asked to leave.” (THISDAY)