Illegal Recruitment: Senate To Fast Track Passage of Existing Vacancies Bill – Saraki

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Concerned about the rising cases of illegal and or fake recruitment in the country, the Senate on Thursday said it has mapped out plans to accelerate the passage of the Existing Vacancies in the Federal Civil Service (Prohibition) Bill, on resumption from its annual recess in September.

The bill, which was introduced by the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), is due for second reading.

President of the Senate, President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who announced this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said; “The existing Vacancies Bill will put in place clear-cut procedures that will help to curb and possibly end the trend of ‘silent or underground recruitment”.

Saraki assured that the Bill, which is currently due for Second Reading, will be given priority as one of the Senate’s legislative interventions to curb the increasing rates of illegal recruitment into federal government agencies and parastatals.

“This country belongs to every Nigerian, and as such, all vacancies that exist in the Federal Civil Service must be properly advertised to give every Nigerian that meet the requirement a chance to apply”, he added.

Saraki further said that the objective of the Bill, will be to promote the integrity and transparency in the recruitment of personnel into the Federal Civil Service, by making it an offence for a Federal Ministry, Agency or Parastatal to fill existing vacancies in their organizations if such vacancies have not been advertised publicly.

According to Saraki; “With this Bill, we will set time-frames for recruitment and the publication of recruitment in national dailies. This will make it the duty of the heads of government agencies and ministries to ensure compliance or face punitive measures.

“Additionally, this Bill will help to ensure that the mandate of the Federal Character Commission is followed to the letter, by imposing punitive measures on those that choose to intentionally flout the law by embarking on secret recruitment exercises within the MDAs under their purview.

“This illegal recruitment trend needs to stop, and when we resume, we will begin to work towards enshrining this in our laws,” Saraki assured.