HOUSE PROBES 2016 FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION RECRUITMENT EXERCISE
The House of Representatives has mandated the Committees on Public Service Matters and Federal Character to determine whether the 2016/2017 recruitment exercise by the Federal Civil Service Commission was carried out in accordance with laid down principles for such an exercise and report back in six (6) weeks for further legislative action.
The resolution stemmed from a motion moved by Hon. Henry Nwawuba who reminded the House that there was a recruitment exercise into the Ministries, Departments and Agencies by the Federal Civil Service Commission in 2016 during which many youths from all over the Federation applied online and were looking forward to a competitive screening and interview in accordance with best practices.
He informed that many of the applicants had their dreams of working for the Federal Government dashed by the failure of the Commission to inform them about further processes regarding the exercise which is being alleged to have lacked transparency and was not conducted in accordance with extant rules and in breach of the Federal Character Principles, entry qualifications and proper placement of candidates. He was concerned that if nothing is urgently done to check recruitment processes by MDAs; several qualified candidates from various regions of the country would continue to be denied equal opportunity to secure employment.
Responding to the prayers of another motion by Hon. Benjamin Ikani okolo, the House resolved to Set up an Ad-hoc Committee to look into the possibility of indigenous oil/service companies receiving bailout grants or loans at a single digit interest rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria to enable them compete favorably with foreign oil companies in bidding for big contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and report back in twelve (12) weeks for further legislative action.
The mover of the motion called on the Federal Government to make provision of grants for indigenous Oil companies operation in Nigeria to give them competitive advantage over Multinational companies. He stated that oil has been the nation's foremost revenue earner for several decades. But decried the fact that indigenous oil/service companies are unable to compete with foreign oil companies in bidding for big contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as they do not have the funds to make the bids and undertake the jobs even when they have the expertise;
Hon. Ikani okolo added that the inability of indigenous oil / service companies to obtain those big contracts that could grow them into big companies and in turn provide service for the country and offer employment to many citizens, has left the country to perpetually depend on foreign companies for exploration and exploitation of oil and they take the enormous profits back to their countries.
He further informed that countries all over the world such as the United States of America support their indigenous companies like it did during the economic meltdown when auto companies, banks, insurance companies, etc which were in distress were given bailout funds and South-Korea did the same by granting bailout to its electronics and shipping companies which are now the back bone of the country's economic fluency and have grown into thriving multi-national companies that are boosting the country's economy.