By John Attah
The Cross River State Government has approved the recruitment of 4,000 fresh workers into the local government service following the cancellation of the 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, which it described as “fundamentally flawed” and marred by alleged job racketeering and commercialisation of employment slots.
The government also promised compensation for workers affected by the cancellation, while directing the Attorney-General of the state and relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial exercise and prosecute anyone found culpable.
The decisions followed the submission and consideration of the report of a panel set up to investigate the recruitment exercise conducted by the defunct Local Government Commission.
In a statement issued Thursday, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, said the panel found that the exercise was conducted without executive approval by the governor and violated public service ethics, extant laws and financial regulations.
The panel also identified what the government described as “institutional complicity, ineptitude, lack of transparency, and accountability” in the recruitment process.
Consequently, the government declared the entire exercise invalid, except for 83 CROSIEC personnel who had earlier been employed by the Cross River State Civil Service Commission and subsequently redesignated to the Local Government Service Commission.
According to the government, only 821 personnel whose recruitment had received the governor’s approval would remain on the payroll.
“Only 821 personnel whose recruitment was duly approved by the governor would be retained on the government payroll,” the statement said, adding that “all other persons who entered the payroll through unauthorised or illegal recruitment processes are hereby phased out.”
But the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Eyo Ekpo, said those affected by the cancellation would not be shut out of the new recruitment exercise.
Speaking on a radio programme monitored by Vanguard on Friday, Ekpo described the controversial recruitment as a “criminal enterprise” and said affected workers would be allowed to apply afresh when the new recruitment portal opens.
“Workers affected by the cancellation of the recent local government recruitment exercise will be allowed to reapply once new recruitment portals open within the next two to three weeks,” he said.
“Nothing precludes those who have been laid off by this unfortunate but very, very necessary decision from reapplying.”
On compensation for those affected, Ekpo said the government was still working out the modalities.
“The issue of what will be seen as compensatory is still being worked out,” he stated.
He assured qualified indigenes and other eligible applicants that the new process would provide a fair and transparent opportunity for all.
According to him, the fresh recruitment exercise would deploy digital platforms and modern recruitment procedures to determine the actual staffing needs of the local government system and ensure that employment was based strictly on established requirements.
The state government also said legitimate employees who were lawfully recruited with the required approvals had continued to receive their salaries without interruption.
It added that those removed from the payroll following the nullification of the irregular recruitment would receive compensatory benefits, while the entire local government payroll would be comprehensively reviewed and sanitised.
Expressing sympathy for citizens who may have fallen victim to the alleged recruitment scheme, the government said it could not legitimise appointments that did not follow due process.
“Government cannot assume responsibility for appointments that were never authorized, approved or issued through lawful recruitment process,” it said.
“To do otherwise would amount to legitimizing fraud, compromising due process and undermining the integrity of the public service.”
The government urged affected persons to remain calm and take advantage of the new recruitment window, reiterating its commitment to building “a professional, transparent, efficient, and people-centred public service.”
With the recruitment portal expected to open within two to three weeks, the fresh exercise is now set to test the state government’s pledge to make local government employment more transparent, while attention will also focus on how quickly the promised compensation for affected workers is finalised.
