Reps to probe ongoing recruitment into NSCDC, Immigration Service

The House of Representatives on Wednesday unveiled plans to investigate ongoing recruitment into Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with the view to ensure strict compliance and adherence to the principles of fairness and social justice.

The motion was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Hafiz Ibrahim Kawu, who affirmed that the ongoing recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NCDC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) where 190,000 candidates applied for different cadres advertised for Degree, HND, NCE, OND and SSCE holders.

“The House also notes that the first phase of the recruitment exercise is a Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) where the Civil Defence, Federal Fire Service, Immigration and Nigeria Correctional Services Board (CDFIPB) partnered with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to conduct.

“The House is aware that the Computer Based Aptitude Test for recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service was held on 7 December 2020 while that of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) took place on 8 December 2020 in 126 centres across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory and, out of the 190,000 candidates that applied, only 9,460 candidates were invited for the CBAT.

“The House is disturbed that a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2012 revealed that out of the over 200 million Nigerians, only 4.5 per cent of Nigerians own a computer and that over 95 per cent of Nigerians lack access to a computer, thus, several or millions of Nigerians are not computer literate and have no access to
computer systems.

‘The House is also disturbed that the computer-based test only favoured candidates who can operate computers as the Civil Defence, Federal Fire Service, Immigration and Correctional Services Board (CDFIPB) did not consider citizens who may not be skilled in computer operation by providing an alternative for handwritten examinations in
order to provide a level playing ground for all candidates who applied.

“The House is cognizant of the provision of Section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which states that “the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and social justice,” he urged.

He also urged the House to direct the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) to immediately suspend and/or cancel the Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) that was conducted on the 7 and 8 December 2020 being discriminatory and contrary to the enshrined principles of fairness and social justice,
and revert to the previous manner by which the said agencies have conducted recruitment exercises in the past.

Also speaking. Chairman, House Committee on Army, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas who spoke in support of the motion argued that the exercise for military deals more with physical fitness than intellectual and computer literacy and no one should be left out.

Speaking against the motion, Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju in speaking against the motion stated that the minimum requirement for the lowest cadre will be at least S.S.C.E and everyone at that level ought to be computer literate. He stated that adopting the motion as it is would be tantamount to taking the country backwards.

In the same vein, Hon. Oghene Egoh who observed that all the examinations whose certificates form the basic requirements are all computer-based argued that the motion’s prayer was misleading as even those in the rural areas partake in JAMB and SSCE which both apply computer-based examinations.

In his intervention, the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila explained that the motion was not trying to lower the threshold, but seeks to accommodate those in the rural areas without Internet access.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Interior, Federal Character and Committee on Reformatory Institutions to monitor the CDFIPB recruitment exercise and ensure strict compliance and adherence to the principles of fairness and social justice and report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative action.

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