The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said that the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in February was responsible for the delay in the recruitment process into the Nigerian Immigration Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, however, assured candidates who applied for jobs that the process would be concluded before the end of the year, saying the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been engaged to conduct the written test in order to select those that are successful.
He spoke when the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, led by its Deputy Chairman, Hon Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo, representing Ikono-Ini Federal Constituency, paid an oversight visit to the Ministry to ascertain the level of implementation of 2019 and 2020 appropriations in preparation for 2021 budget defence.
Ukpong-Udo, who represented the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Nasiru Zangon Daura, said the visit was fact-finding and not fault-finding.
The Minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Shuaib Belgore, who the lawmakers that the Ministry achieved 99.75 per cent budget performance in 2019 and 95.69 budget performance in 2020.
While responding to questions from the Committee members, especially on why money was provided for the employment of personal for some agencies under the Ministry for 2020 and no recruitment is done with the year running out, Aregbesola explained that the Ministry had commenced recruitment into NSCDC and Immigration Service.
He said both agencies received applications from more than a million candidates and those who met the initial requirements have been shortlisted, adding the aptitude test could not be conducted because of COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: “We have had a discussion with JAMB, National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) and resolved to use JAMB for the examination for Computer Based Test.”
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The Minister assured members of the Committee that the examination would be held before the end of the year, even though, he was reminded the year has almost come to an end.
Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Interior, Hon Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo, earlier in his remark, noted the critical mandate of the Interior Ministry in protection and safeguarding the internal security of the nation.
He added that such responsibility requires enormous resources, noting that the Committee was willing to go an extra mile in assisting the Ministry performs its duties and responsibilities effortlessly.
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