Secret employment ongoing in civil service, senate alleges

• Lawmakers move against importation of fake goods
• Ask Head of Service, ministry to wade into NIEPA crisis

The Senate, yesterday, alleged secret employment was ongoing at the civil service, amid claims of an embargo by the Federal Government.

It expressed concern at the high rate of unemployment in the country, regretting that bandits, kidnappers and insurgents were taking advantage of the army of idle hands.

The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs said government should urgently ensure the recruitment of eligible Nigerians into the public service.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Danjuma La’ah, made this known while submitting the report of the committee to the Senate Appropriation Committee, which has been compiling submissions on the 2022 budget.

La’ah said: “Many people are being secretly employed. But those in charge are claiming there is an embargo on employment. I don’t know where they got that. We have been asking them. The President has not opened his mouth to say there is an embargo on employment.

“There is no embargo anywhere. But some officials of government are so myopic that they decide to take advantage of the situation. I have been challenging those who are engaging in secret recruitments, claiming there is an embargo, to show us where they got the information.

“This is the time for them to increase their personnel cost and make provision for employment. People are retiring voluntarily but we don’t know how they are being replaced. We must know the particular number of people they want to employ.”

He added: “We discovered that young Nigerians, who graduated from higher institutions some 15 years ago, have yet to gain employment. The development has aggravated insecurity all over the place including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities.”

The Senate committee demanded that the Federal Government step up employment to engage millions of Nigerians.

Also, a bill for a ban on importation of fake goods into Nigeria scaled second reading at the Senate.

Tagged, ‘Counterfeit Goods Bill 2021’, it was sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun (APC, Ogun Central).

Leading debate on principles of the bill, Amosun said it provides, among others, for the prohibition of manufacturing, production, possession, and distribution of counterfeit goods.

The bill was, thereafter, referred by Senate President Ahmad Lawan to the Committee on Trade and Investments for further legislative work. The committee was given four weeks to report back to the chamber.

The Senate also waded into the leadership feud at the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration.

It urged the Federal Ministry of Education and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to appoint a committee to rejig the administration and management of the institution, to provide effective leadership and guidance, and reposition it for effective performance and operational confidence.

The decision by the chamber to intervene followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions during plenary.