Maritime workers association to investigate secret recruitment at NPA

Following reports of secret recruitment going on in the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has said that efforts are already being put in place to investigate the matter.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune exclusively, the President General of the MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju stated that he has directed the President of the NPA Branch of the union to look into the matter.

According to Adeyanju, “Although I have not been briefed by anybody of such happening in the NPA, I have asked the President of the NPA Branch of the union to investigate. I don’t think NPA can go to such extent as regard its recruitment exercise, but we will investigate and get back to you, the press.”

Report of secret recruitment into the NPA, which was against the directive of President Muhamadu Buhari on public recruitment, became public knowledge last week.

The series of NPA secret recruitment exercise was done on November 10 and held at the Tahir Guest Palace, Kano state by the Human Resource Manager, Bukar Yahaya, for selected applicants.

It was further gathered that the Kano’s recruitment was a sequel to a similar one that was done in the North-Eastern part of the country. Those invited converged on AbdulAzeez Yari Conference hall of Tahir Guest Palace.

Scores of other applicants who were not favoured had trooped into the interview venue in Kano to protest the secret recruitment process.

But the General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA,  Abdullahi Goje, in a statement issued recently stated that the allegation is “far from the truth as this process started over one year ago.

According to Goje, “ the recruitment was advertised on November 11, 2016, editions of Daily Sun, The Nation and Daily Trust newspapers.

“This exercise also followed the procedure laid down by the Federal Government. In accordance with extant requirements by Nigerian laws, the NPA observed the following processes:

“The vacancies were widely advertised in national dailies and examination conducted across the six geo-political zones of the country by reputable consultants

“The vacancies were also well publicised on the recruitment portal of the Authority’s website .”

“ The Federal Character Commission (FCC) is fully involved in this recruitment exercise. Interviews took place across the six geopolitical locations.”