Recently, Abia State Government kicked off employment process through the Local Government Civil Service Commission and mandated every job seeker to pay the sum of One Thousand Naira Only (N1000) before he or she can get the employment form.
This employment process was kicked off even though the State government have not been able to meet its salary payment obligation with workers in the state.
Information reaching IGBERE TV has it that more than 10,000 Ndi Abia have paid the N1000 to account number 1362002300 domicile in Ecobank PLC.
Our investigation team that visited the Commissions office located at Findarrs road in Umuahia, saw a large crowd of job seeking Ndi Abia numbering close to 5000 struggling to get the form with their payment slip. (Photos attached)
On interviewing some staff of the commission who do want their names mentioned, said that Abia State Government headed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is aware of the form fee and actually gave a go ahead for the fee to be collected based on what the Chairman of the commission communicated to them.
On interviewing the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, she refused to accent to whether the Governor authorized the fee attached to the form or not, but instead directed us to the Chairmen of the commission who refused to answer questions once he discovered the team were from Abia Facts Newspaper.
Inside the office of the Chairman, we saw the photocopied employment forms being stapled together for onward distribution to the crowd outside who have paid for the form.
Meanwhile The state government through a communique signed the Commissioner for Information Hon. John Okiyi Kalu and sent to IGBERE TV from the same office disassociated the state government from the fee and mandated the commission to refund the money.
The question now is; How will the commission refund the over 10,000 persons that have paid for the form? What was the payment meant for earlier? Did the governor actually gave a go ahead for the fee to be collected? Who authorized the collection of the fee if the governor is not aware? What action will the governor take now that this has being discovered?
Further investigation revealed that the commission is only going to employ about 425 persons (25 persons par LGA), but have collected N1000 fee from more than 10,0000 persons.
Few years ago, Nigeria Immigration was attacked by Nigerians for collecting fee during its recruitment exercise that resulted in the death of some Nigerians.
