Kano assembly accuses Customs service of recruitment bias

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

A member of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hussaini Dala, has moved a motion alleging grave imbalance and lopsidedness in the recent recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Dala, the House Majority Leader, moved a motion to the effect that the exercise was done in violation of the federal character principle, fair representation of states and therefore, represented a threat to national unity.

Giving a breakdown before the plenary, he revealed that out of a total of 1,785 candidates that were recruited, the South-West states, particularly Lagos and Ogun States, got the lion’s share.

According to his statistics, a total of 207 applicants were recruited from Lagos State alone, while Ogun State got 145, Ondo got 132, Osun got 127, Oyo got 108, and Ekiti got 93 slots, totalling 812 slots for the South West and more than half of the total recruitment nationwide.

He decried the fact that the North-West had only about 7 percent of the total recruitment exercise, a breakdown of which saw Kano with only 31 slots, Katsina 20 slots, Jigawa 18 slots, and Zamfara 16 slots, while the whole of the Northern region got only 651 slots.

He urged the House to officially communicate the disparity to the appropriate federal authorities, including the National Assembly, the Federal Character Commission (FCC), and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to demand a review of the exercise to reflect fairness and inclusivity.

He also cautioned that the continued regional imbalances in federal employment could deepen mistrust and threaten the unity of the country.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Jibril Ismail Falgore, directed the relevant House Committee to investigate the recruitment figures and report back to the House for further action.