Target fairness, equity in federal recruitment processes
In a major move to curb irregularities in public sector employment, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Character Commission (FCC) have agreed to establish a Joint Task Force to tackle job racketeering and promote fairness in recruitment across federal government agencies.
The decision was announced on Thursday during a high-level meeting between the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), and the Acting Executive Chairman of FCC, Dr. Kayode Oladele, at the FCC headquarters in Abuja.
Dr. Aliyu said the collaboration was in response to growing public complaints, particularly from young Nigerians who allege being sidelined in job opportunities due to backdoor recruitment practices and nepotism in the federal service.
“We are seeing a lot of job racketeering in the public sector,” Dr. Aliyu stated. “Almost daily, ICPC receives complaints from young Nigerians who were denied jobs because recruitment was done through the backdoor. Some top officials give jobs mostly to people from their villages or states, and that is unfair.”
He cited disturbing examples of lopsided recruitment practices within federal agencies, revealing that in one case, a single official was found to have allocated 94 job slots exclusively to his state. This, he noted, led to a gross imbalance, with one geopolitical zone reportedly receiving 189 slots over a two-year period—more than double the allocation for other regions.
“In one agency, a state accounts for 65.72% of total staff, while others have less than 1%. In another, one state has 12.9% of the workforce, while some states have as low as 0.4%. Is this fair?” he questioned.
Dr. Aliyu warned that such imbalances, if left unchecked, could deepen public mistrust in government institutions and fuel disillusionment among qualified citizens.
He disclosed that the proposed Joint Task Force will be mandated to monitor recruitment exercises, share intelligence, and prevent employment abuses before they occur. He further called for the immediate formalization of the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to be signed within two weeks.
“This partnership is about ensuring equity, fairness, and justice. It is also about restoring confidence in public recruitment systems,” he said. “Let us show Nigerians that institutions can work together to build a better future.”
Dr. Aliyu added that the ICPC will continue its system reviews across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and share its findings with the FCC to enable swift corrective action.
