The Minister of Communication,
Barrister Adebayo Shittu has revoked the
recruitment of 245 graduates as senior
staff of the Nigeria Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
which was conducted in 2015 after his
own state got only one slot, investigation
by Daily Trust on Sunday has revealed.
Spokesperson of the Agency, Hajiya
Hadiza Umar said the exercise was
stopped by the Minister because the
former Director General of NITDA, Mr.
Peter Jack neglected due process in
conducting the recruitment exercise.
Hadiza Umar told our reporter through
telephone interview that “the
employment process did not follow due
process because employment letters
were issued to the applicants even
before the Federal Character
Commission (FCC) granted waiver to the
Agency to conduct the recruitment
without advertising the available
vacancies as required by law.”
She said the Minister stopped the
recruitment process after realising that it
did not follow laid down procedure and
that “most of those employed don’t have
the requisite skills to adequately bridge
the manpower gap at the agency.”
But one of the successful applicants, who
spoke to our reporter on condition of
anonymity, said “the minister rejected
the list because his state was not
properly represented on the list of
successful applicants. He has brought
additional names that he wants added to
the list that is the cause of the delay in
posting the applicants.”
He said appointment letters were issued
to the ‘successful applicants’ adding that
“we have even done documentation and
submitted details for our ID cards when
the process was suspended. We were
only waiting to be posted.”
The list of the successful applicants
containing names of 245 graduates,
including first degree and Higher
National Diploma (HND) holders was
approved by the Federal Character
Commission (FCC) in a letter to NITDA
dated 30th December, 2016.
FCC had in the letter obtained by our
reporter conveyed its approval for the
recruitment exercise and issuance of
letters of appointment to successful
applicants. “Having substantially
complied with the provisions of our
circular letter, I am to inform you that
the Acting Chairman has acceded to your
request.
“Consequently, I am to convey approval
of a certificate of compliance in your
favour as authority to issue letters of
appointment to two hundred and forty
five (245) successful candidates as
contained in the list herewith attached,”
the Federal Character Commission said
in the letter signed by D. O. Fakeye,
Director, Monitoring and Enforcement.
The commission also directed NITDA to
issue letters of appointment to the 245
successful applicants “within three (3)
months from the date of issuance of the
Certificate (of Compliance), otherwise, it
shall become lapse and shall require
revalidation.”
However, seven months after the
issuance of Certificate of Compliance by
the FCC and completion of the
recruitment process, NITDA is yet to
absorb the 245 successful applicants.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the
minister’s state of origin, Oyo State, had
the name, Agbaje Adewale Ifedapo as the
only successful applicant that hails from
the state.
Documents obtained by our reporter
indicate that an additional list of 20
applicants was added as attachment for
approval contrary to the provision of the
Federal Character Commission directive
stamped on the list of the successful
candidates that “any alteration to this list
without the prior consent of the
Commission (FCC) renders it invalid and
will attract appropriate penalties.”
A further look at the additional list
revealed inconsistency’ as some of the
names were repeated on both the list of
successful applicants released by NITDA
and the additional list allegedly drafted
by the minister. For instance, Abioye
Jimoh A.; who is captured on the list of
successful candidates as a holder of B.Sc
Data Analysis from Ogun state, was
repeated on the additional list as holder
of Master of Arts (MA) in Peace and
Development Studies. Such discrepancy
affects about 11 of the applicants, whose
names are on both lists.
It was also found that the recruitment
process was not advertised as NITDA
requested for waiver from the FCC to
make the recruitment exercise secret.
NITDA in a letter dated November 6,
2015 to the FCC said “The Agency is
presently growing its network of Zonal,
States and LGA offices and has shortage
of skilled professional manpower. We
therefore wish to request for a waiver of
advertisement to enable the Agency
recruit 250 skilled staff in the senior and
junior categories.
“We already have a pool of curriculum
vitae from the previous recruitment
exercises and the available vacancies will
not be commensurate with the number
of expected responses if advertised. We
are also constrained for time as the
exercises needs to be concluded within
the shortest possible period.”
The request for waiver was approved by
the FCC through a letter dated 14th
December, 2015. The Commission said
“based on the explanations offered by
you (NITDA), the Commission has
granted your request for waiver of
advertisement only.”
Spokesperson of NITDA, Hajia Hadiza
said the entire recruitment exercise had
been cancelled and that the agency was
in the process of conducting a fresh
exercise. According to her, “employment
letters were issued to the applicants even
before the waiver by FCC. The former DG
did not even ask Heads of Departments
to present Skill Gap Analysis before the
exercise was conducted.
“We were just at the agency when we saw
large number of people saying that they
have been employed. They did not apply,
they were only asked to send CVs. We
were here, we did not know, we just saw
new staff.”
She said the agency does not even have
the capacity to appoint 245 staff saying
“we presently have about 150 staff. The
agency does not even have the financial
capacity to employ 245 additional staff.
Our total personnel cost is about N1.5
billion annually.”
Hajia Hadiza said the 245 applicants can
reapply during the next round of
recruitment exercise and “they will be
considered if they fit into the positions
that they are applying. Heads of
Departments are presently conducting
Skill Gap Analysis to determine vacancies
in each department.” She also said there
won’t be special consideration for such
applicants.
She further stated that the next
recruitment is to improve manpower at
the Office of Nigeria Content (ONC) and
the Office of IT and Entrepreneurship
Innovation which are both under the
Agency. “The number of vacancies will
not even be more than ten (10)”, she
said.
Hadiza Umar debunked the claim that
the Minister stopped the process over
personal interest, saying “it is not true;
the minister did not cancel the process
because he wanted some applicants to
get the jobs. Let me tell you there were
internal complaints from staff that have
not been promoted since they were
employed and suddenly 245 new staff
were issued letters to come as their
seniors. That was the beginning of the
problem, it all started from internal
complaints and there were also no
spaces for the new employees.”
Efforts to get the minister’s reaction did
not yield result as calls put to the phone
of his media assistant were not answered
and he did not respond to the text
message sent to his mobile phone.
But the minister had earlier told Daily
Trust on Sunday that the staff were only
employed through the back door by a
former NITDA Director General, Mr.
Peter Jack.
Shittu said government cancelled their
appointments because it was hurriedly
done by the immediate past NITDA DG
when he went ahead with the
recruitment despite directive to the
contrary.
Documents obtained by Daily Trust on
Sunday however showed that the
recruitment exercise was approved by
the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.
In response to a memo signed by Mr.
Jack dated November 6, 2015, the
Permanent Secretary gave a ‘no
objection’ to the recruitment exercise.
Number of successful candidates
according to states
1. Abia State 4
2. Adamawa State 9
3. Akwa Ibom State 8
4. Anambra State 10
5. Bauchi State 6
6. Bayelsa State 4
7. Benue State 8
8. Borno State 5
9. Cross River State 17
10. Delta State 16
11. Ebonyi State 7
12. Edo State 10
13. Ekiti State 3
14. Enugu State 10
15. FCT 7
16. Gombe State 8
17. Imo State 7
18. Jigawa State 8
19. Kaduna State 9
20. Kano State 9
21. Katsina State 7
22. Kebbi State 2
23. Kogi State 9
24. Kwara State 6
25. Lagos State 3
26. Nasarawa 5
27. Niger State 5
28. Ogun State 5
29. Ondo State 4
30. Osun State 5
31. Oyo State 1
32. Plateau State 8
33. Rivers State 6
34. Sokoto State 2
35. Taraba State 3
36. Yobe State 4
37. Zamfara State
www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/how-minister-revoked-245-nitda-recruitment/157383.html

All these is story..

The summary is that the hope 245 people have been crashed

good move by honourable minister of communication because advertisements must be made first ....

kehinde21:
good move by honourable minister of communication because advertisements must be made first ....

If u where among those that have already been given the job,would u congratulate d ministers move?

Lies. The recruitment was cancelled because these people don't know any influential person.

Running204:
If u where among those that have already been given the job,would u congratulate d ministers move?

just read through now... issuing appointments letter before for recruitment and not following federal character rule... not following due process
lf you are the one charge can sign what will bounce back on you.
even in minister state a single head was picked when some are getting 15,16 ...10 and so on

Following

duduade:
All these is story..
The summary is that the hope 245 people have been crashed

Lol
He made it juicy I guess

Name checkers oya food don don

Secret recruitment has been the order of the day in this country.

obongtunji:
Secret recruitment has been the order of the day in this country.

yes ooo

kehinde21:

just read through now... issuing appointments letter before for recruitment and not following federal character rule... not following due process
lf you are the one charge can sign what will bounce back on you.
even in minister state a single head was picked when some are getting 15,16 ...10 and so on

Wen under Buhari govt, ds agencies did theirs... did dey follow due process? ?
CBN
FIRS
NNPC....

Running204:
If u where among those hat have already been given the job,would u congratulate d ministers move?

don't mind him/her