Niger Govt denies suspending recruitment

The Niger State Civil Service Commission says it has not suspended ongoing recruitment of personnel into the service.

The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Shehu Galadima, disclosed this at a news conference in Minna on Tuesday.

Galadima, however, said that the exercise was put on hold due to the COVID-19 lockdown, adding that it would begin after clearance by the relevant authorities.

Reports said  that the state government in 2020 opened its portal for recruitment.

Galadima said that 27,000 applicants had applied, out of which 24,000 had been successfully screened to undergo the next process.

He, however, said that so far, the commission had recruited 1,133 into some ministries and departments in health and education sectors as well as the state fire service between 2016 and 2021.

The chairman said 46 personnel discovered to have violated the extant rules were dismissed from service after thorough investigations.

He said one medical doctor, 31 personnel from the state pension board, five accountants, two health workers, and four ICT personnel were among the affected personnel.

He added that 328 personnel were also dismissed from service for certificate racketeering after a forensic examination of all certificates of personnel was carried out.

Galadima said that 6,018 personnel had retired from the state civil service during the period, while 6,835 others had been promoted to the next grade.