- Insist Prof Oloyede cheated qualified Nigerians of job opportunities
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged job racketeering in government agencies has knocked the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for secretly cheating qualified Nigerians out of job opportunities within the agency under the guise of official waivers
According to the lawmakers, recruiting over 300 staff without advertising the slots for qualified applicants to compete for them was an abuse of due process by the examination body.
Chairman of the panel, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, slammed the JAMB Register, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, that waivers were being abused and used to ultimately deny qualified Nigerians opportunities to get jobs.
Pointedly, the House Committee Chairman queried the JAMB boss thus; “Why did you choose to apply for a waiver when you are recruiting 300 and the law says only if the number is below 100?
“Why did you use a waiver for the recruitment of over 300 staff? You employed 300 staff without advertisement. That is against the law. It shortchanged millions of Nigerians that should be given equal opportunity in terms of the employment process.”
The JAMB Register, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, had earlier informed the lawmakers at their investigative hearing on Monday that the Board carried out the recruitment exercise after obtaining a waiver from the Federal Character Commission (FCC) due to the exigencies and urgency at the time.
Oloyede explained thus; “If we were to advertise for the 300 slots, we would not be able to meet what we needed them for. I call your attention to the letter we wrote to the agency (FCC). That was the period we had about 12 to 13 centres coming on board and we needed personnel to man them.”
Meanwhile, the Reps Committee says current revelations of job racketeering within the FCC will not distract it from turning its searchlight to other government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Panel Chairman, Hon Gagdi, who addressed some victims of job scams in FCC during their sitting last Monday, said the lawmakers will do all within their powers to ensure that justice is done when the report is submitted for necessary action.
