The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria has commended the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for what it described as a transparent, innovative and largely seamless 2025 recruitment exercise conducted across Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies.

The statement formed part of the communiqué jointly signed by Oscar Kalu and Gambo Jagindi and issued on Wednesday, after the Fourth Quarter (Q4) end-of-year meeting of the Council.
The civil society body praised the Federal Ministry of Interior and its agencies, the Civil Defence, Correctional Service, Fire and Immigration Services, and others, for deploying a centralised, technology-driven recruitment process that resulted in relatively seamless and credible outcomes.
According to NCSCN, the use of a unified online portal, public release of shortlisted candidates, and repeated warnings against recruitment fraud significantly reduced manipulation and restored public confidence in government hiring processes.

“The 2025 recruitment exercise reflects the minister’s commitment to accountability and institutional reform. Despite the magnitude of work and inevitable technical challenges, the minister’s prompt interventions ensured fairness, transparency and protection of applicants’ data.
“According to available reports, the 2025 recruitment exercise attracted nationwide interest and large application volumes, placing significant demands on the portal and the boards administering the exercise.
“The Minister personally intervened to order urgent fixes and the complete upload of applicant data when the portal experienced intermittent crashes, a move the Council praised as proactive and responsive governance,” the communiqué read.

The Council further noted that the Minister’s hands-on leadership, including swift directives to resolve portal glitches and ensure full data upload, demonstrated political will to safeguard the integrity of the exercise.
NCSCN, in the communiqué, urged the Ministry to consolidate the gains recorded by institutionalising the digital recruitment framework, conducting an after-action review, and strengthening public awareness via enhanced media and civil society engagements, to curb the activities of fraudsters targeting job seekers.
The Council reaffirmed its support for reforms within the interior sector, stressing that transparent recruitment remains critical to building professional, accountable and people-oriented security architecture.

The Council also called for sustained inter-agency collaboration to ensure that future recruitment exercises are not only transparent but also inclusive, merit-based and reflective of federal character principles.
It stressed that continuous investment in digital infrastructure and staff training would further enhance efficiency and reduce avoidable technical disruptions in subsequent exercises.
NCSCN urged applicants and members of the public to remain vigilant and rely solely on official communication channels of the Ministry and its agencies for recruitment information.

It warned that fraudsters often exploit high-demand recruitment periods to deceive unsuspecting job seekers, noting that no legitimate recruitment process requires payment or third-party intermediaries.
The civil society group pledged to continue monitoring public sector recruitment and other reform initiatives within the interior ministry, assuring Nigerians of its readiness to engage constructively with government institutions.
It added that sustained transparency and citizen oversight would help entrench public trust and strengthen the credibility of national security institutions.