Employment Forms: Protesters Want Assembly to Probe Civil Service Commissions Spending

Protesting youths under the umbrella of Taraba Concern Citizens Forum  has called on  the Taraba State House of Assembly to Probe budgetary allocations and spending of the Taraba State Civil Service Commission saying government has already budgeted funds for the recruitment exercise.  

 

The youths protesting against the sale of employment forms by the Commission, insisted that the recruitment program must be free.

 

The protest rally which began at about 12 noon in Jalingo, at the Commission's main entrance gate was initially thwarted by heavily armed security personnel who had condoned off the commission's premises to scare away protesters. 

 

But sensing the peaceful manner in which the protesting unemployed youths had organised themselves, they were allowed to gain entry into the commission's premises.

 

While interacting with the Commission's Chairman, John Mamman, the protesting unemployed youths under the banners of Taraba Citizen Forum led by it's Coordinator, Mansur Munkaila Jirgi urged the Commission's Chairman among other demands to: 

 

"Make free employment forms or exercise from the government. The economy is hard, they must not make it harder for us and to our younger ones. 

 

"The commission should make refunds to all those whom have already made their payments for the said exercise.

 

"The exercise should be free fair and credible where only the qualified ones are hired or given the jobs."

An applicant, James Attah, who joined the protest narrated his ordeal he had in 2017 as he applied with the Commission.

 

"I applied with this Commission in 2017. I bought the form at the rate of 2500 naira up till now nothing is done about it. Today the commission is selling employment forms again. I want appeal to this Commission to reconsider it's decision in the interest of the poor applicants like me," he said.

 

Miss Georgina Linus, also an applicant, lamented the exorbitant fee charged by the agency for the the employment form, describing it as total extortion. 

Another protester who spoke to Taraba Truth and Facts newspaper also asked the Taraba State House of Assembly to probe budgetary allocations and spending of the Commission.

 

The protester lamented the selling of employment forms by State Civil Service Commission, arguing that the government has made provisions for the exercise in it's 2021 budget.

 

"There are many questions begging for answers and that's why Elder John Mamman should step down and the State House of Assembly should look at what the Commission used it's funds for. 

"How much was used to design the website? Who got the contract and does it follow due process? What exactly are they charging the applicants for? Are they not the regular duties of the Commission? Our lawmakers must intervene else poor masses would be exploited in the name of recruitment."

 

 Responding to the demands of the protesting unemployed youths, John Mamman, Chairman of the state Civil Service Commission, CSC, allayed the fears expressed by the Forum in their demands that the Commission's decision to charge 3,500 naira per form was rather to help poor applicants who could have spent close to ten thousand naira to obtain the form at the Commission's headquarters in Jalingo, if it had make the form free as expressed by the Forum.

 

He buttressed his statement by saying that prospective applicants who live in Ibi, Takum, Saudauna, Wukari, Ussa among other far local government areas of Taraba State would spend more than 3,500 naira, to transport themselves to and from just to obtain the form at the CSC headquarters in Jalingo.

 

He however, assured the protesting unemployed youths that the Commission will be fair to all qualified applicants. 

 

He cautioned that the Commission is not a revenue generating agency and not trying in anyway to generate revenue for government, saying that the Commission is not faking the employment.

 

"This Commission is going to give genuine employment to Taraba indigenes who are  qualified. Members of this Commission came on board in 2019. 

 

What happened in 2017 before we came on board, we knew nothing about it. 

 

"We are going to correct the anormallies that happened in 2017 which you are referencing to. All candidates who are qualified will be given employment by this Commission irrespective of God fatherism," the Chairman said.

 

The CSC chairman, however, urged the unemployed youths to be grateful to governor Darius Ishaku's administration for opening up employment opportunities to the youths of Taraba State.