February 22, (THEWILL) – Despite the ban on employment into the core civil service of Akwa Ibom State not lifted since 2015, investigations have revealed that the state government has secretly been recruiting workers into the state civil service.
Findings also reveal that employees have been resuming in various ministries, departments and agencies in the state without undergoing any formal employment 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.
Many of the commissioners and permanent secretaries have feigned ignorance about the recruitment exercise, saying they are not privy to any notice or declaration of vacancies.
However, findings reveal that some top government officials and politicians use their connections to secure employment for their cronies, while some applicants pay huge amounts 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 in the last 10 months, but has not gotten the job.
“There are many of us who have paid money to get a civil service job. I have paid since April last year. Some persons who paid have resumed work. I am yet to get my employment letter”, she said.
The investigation further 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 close to the Head of Civil Service told our reporter.
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 told our correspondent that “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, Mrs Ekereobong Akpan, 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, but were not employed at the time.
Addressing the press recently, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, 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.
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