By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bauchi State Command, has alerted Nigerians to a fake list of successful candidates who sought employment with the organisation in 2019.

This was disclosed in a statement in Bauchi, by Mr Nuraddeen Abdullahi, the NSCDC Commandant, who drummed that the fake recruitment list was currently being circulated by some yet-to-be-identified scammers.

In the statement signed by Mr Garkuwa Adamu, the spokesman of the command, Mr Abdullahi said the fake list did not emanate from the corps.

He urged Nigerians to disregard the list which, he said, was “masterminded by unscrupulous elements aimed at defrauding unsuspecting applicants.”

“It is true that physical screening/verification of credentials of the shortlisted candidates who applied for the 2019 recruitment and passed the computer-based test has commenced throughout the federation on August 2, 2021.

“All candidates invited were duly notified via our portal (https://cdfipb.careers) or through Short Message Service (SMS) indicating the date and venue for the verification exercise.

“Applicants whose names did not appear on the website should not present themselves in any of the venues for the screening,” he said.

According to the commandant, the North-East centre is located at the Games Village, Bauchi and comprisesAdamawa, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe and Bauchi States.

Mr Abdullahi said the public should note that the whole recruitment exercise was free, pointing out that applicants were not charged a penny in whatever form.

This is not the first time that the agency or other parastatals of the federal government has raised an alarm over fraudulent recruitment exercises but many Nigerians still fall victim due to the high unemployment rate in the country.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

About 6,134 youths have been employed in the past year by the Oyo State Government, the Governor of the state, Mr Seyi Makinde, has disclosed.

Speaking at a community and stakeholders’ town hall meeting held at Saki on Tuesday, Mr Makinde said this was part of the efforts of his administration to reduce unemployment in the state.

According to him, these persons recruited by the government included 5000 teachers, 600 education officers and 534 medical and healthcare workers.

The Governor, who was represented at the gathering by his deputy, disclosed that the massive recruitment was done to increase efficiency in government service delivery.

He further said it was also based on the drive to gainfully engage and employ the youth population while reducing the unemployment numbers.

He said, as at the half of the year budget evaluation, the budget performance stands at 60 per cent while the target stands at enhancing it up to 75 per cent before the year ends based on improved revenue performance.

The state’s helmsman asserted that the scarcity of resources will make the government prioritize based on the most pressing while considering other requests in the next year’s budget.

The Governor highlighted that his administration has started various projects in the Oke Ogun zone and are at various completion stages, including the reconstruction and remodelling of OYSADA, reconstruction of Saki township road, reconstruction of Saki-Ogboro-Igboho road to mention but a few.

He, therefore, urged the people to let their voices be heard as the government is set to relieve them at their pain points by heeding to their requests.

Earlier in her open remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Foluke Adebiyi, said in spite of the paucity of funds, the state government is accommodating all the needs of the people but attending to them in order of priority one after the other.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The newly inaugurated governing board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has been charged by the federal government to enhance the smooth running of its administration in the area of transparency and accountability.

Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who performed the inauguration of the new NEITI board on Thursday in Abuja, congratulated the members, saying their appointment as NEITI board members were based on individual merits and track records.

“Your appointment and inauguration, which is taking place here today, is another practical demonstration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of our economic resources.

“And especially, given the mandate and objectives of NEITI,” Mr Mustapha said.

The nation’s scribe said that the present administration was passionate about the NEITI process because it served two key agendas of the administration.

He said that the extractive industry was very strategic to Nigeria’s economy, hence central to the administration’s economic agenda.

According to Mr Mustapha, transparency and accountability in the management of the nation’s resources are equally central to the anti-corruption agenda of Nigeria.

He said it was, therefore, irrevocably committed to the implementation of NEITI in the oil, gas, and mining industries.

The SGF, therefore, tasked NEITI board members to ensure that the agency continued to preserve the virtues for the benefit of the present and for future generations of Nigeria.

“In order to achieve this, I must remind you that your assignment is non-partisan because NEITI itself is non-political and has maintained dignified neutrality all through almost two decades of existence.

“It is also necessary for me to stress that your appointment is a part-time one. You are therefore advised to conduct yourselves in accordance with this requirement,” he said.

According to Mr Olusegun Adekunle, serving on the board, he assured that the board would not disappoint the president in the course of carrying out its assigned duties.

The retired permanent secretary said his appointment alongside other board members was another opportunity to serve Nigeria in another capacity.

“Let me also congratulate my colleagues on the board for this wonderful opportunity to serve our nation in a different capacity.

“I must say that the confidence reposed in us is huge but our commitment to this assignment is also strong; we shall, therefore, work as a team with focus and with integrity,” Mr Adekunle said.

The board comprises:

Olusegun Adeyemi Adekunle, Esq. – Chairman (Public Administrator/Retired Federal Permanent Secretary)

Group Managing Director, (NNPC) Mele Kyari – Member (Representing National Oil Gas Company Industry)

Executive Chairman, FIRS, Muhammad Mamman Nami – Member (Extractive Industry Revenue accountability)

President, Nigeria Mining & Geosciences Society Alabo Charles – Member (Extractive Industry Professional Union)

President, PENGASSAN Comrade Festus Osifo – Member (Extractive Industries Professional Union Industries)

Mr Lorenzo Fiorillo – Member (Chairman OPTS Representative- IOCs, Oil, Gas Industry Companies)

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade – Member (Representative, Government Extractive Industries- Mining)

Peter Egbule – Member (National Coordinator, Publish What You Pay representative, Civil Society)

Dr Bashir Bature Gafai – Member (Geo-Political Rep: North-West Zone)

Dr Iliya Gashinbaki – Member (Geo-Political Rep: North-East Zone)

Godwin Akor Ogwuche – Member (Geo-Political Rep: North-Central Zone)

Professor Damilola Olawuyi – Member (Geo-Political Rep: South-West Zone)

Dr Nze Joe Ibeh – Member (Geo-Political Rep: South-East Zone)

Awowoh Christian – Member (Geo-Political Rep: South-South Zone)

Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji – Member (Executive Secretary, NEITI by virtue of Office)