The Nigerian Senate has launched an investigation into allegations of illegal and lopsided recruitment into the federal civil service.
The Senate mandated its committees on establishment and public service matters, labour and employment, and federal character to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter and come up with appropriate recommendations.
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During the plenary, Zam Tarrenger, senator representing Benue Northwest, sponsored a motion expressing concerns about the counter-productive malady of favouring certain groups in the civil service.
He noted that this practice was inconsistent with the Federal Character Commission’s vision.
The lawmaker regretted that this debilitating syndrome has permeated the ministries, departments, and agencies to the extent that virtually no ministry seems to be insulated from this ugly trend.
He recalled that the Federal Government discovered 1,618 civil servants with fake employment letters in July 2023 and 1,020 in December 2021. Tarrenger argued that if urgent action was not taken to ensure the Federal Character Principle, lop-sidedness would weaken the cohesion of the civil service with its attendant damage to governance and service delivery.
Contributing to the debate, Amos Yohanna, representing Adamawa North warned that if the abuse and bastardisation of the civil service persisted, the entire country would descend into disorder.
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Also, Neda Imaseun, representing Edo State, added that sanity must be restored in the civil service to ensure that only qualified individuals are employed.
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