By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
Dr Joel Akowe, Chief Lecturer with Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja has urged that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should be compelled to declare available vacancies and make recruitments open to facilitate competitive job bidding.
Akowe made the call at the maiden Inaugural Lecture of the Polytechnic titled: “Manpower Resourcing And Productivity Management In The Public Sector: The Cacophony Of Paradox”, delivered in Lokoja.
The Don said that the call had become necessary in view of the country’s unemployment profile and the need to address violation of resourcing procedures in Nigerian public service.
He said that after over six decades of post-independent Africa, the crisis of underdevelopment has continued to push most Africa nations (Nigeria inclusive) further down.
Akowe holds that most of them have been pushed down below tolerable limits of poverty, unemployment and insecurity, more as a result of resource misappropriation than resource scarcity.
He suggested that selection of candidates into public service should be based on objective criteria and in accordance with performances at interviews rather than fostering nepotism.
Akowe suggested that where Federal Character is to be used, all candidates from such catchment area should be given equal opportunities for competitive selection.
The Chief Lecturer held that sanctions against any abuse of recruitment procedure should be certain, swift and severe to serve as a deterrent to potential offenders.
He also charged Mass media and anti-corruption agencies to investigate, report and prosecute allegations or established cases of corrupt practices in public service recruitment procedure so as to make such improprieties less attractive.
The Don urged that the Private sector should be empowered to expand its employment capacity (including job security) in order to reduce the current pressure on public sector for employment.
“Motivation of workers should be taken seriously in order to guarantee their commitment and sustained performance attitudes.
“Exceptional contribution in the work place should be recognized for accelerated advancement, to stir similar feats among other employees”, he said.
The Don also advocated the institution of regular staff auditing among the respective MDAs and necessary projections done.
“MDAs should be compelled through a special Due Process Protocol to declare their vacancies and make their recruitments open, no matter the number of the vacancies involved”, he said.
For effective service delivery, the Chief Lecturer advised that Civil Service Commission should be re-engineered by law, resources and inter-agency supports to enable it enforce adequately, the extant personnel recruitment and selection laws.
Akowe called for Training and development by public institutions for enhanced skills and attitudinal adjustments of the employees as he noted that workers’ salaries and fringe benefits be taken very seriously.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Dr Salisu Ogbo Usman, Rector of the Polytechnic called on academic scholars to contribute towards personal development as well as promote the core values of their institutions.
According to him, the inaugural lecture which is the first since the inception of the institution, marked the dawn of yet another significant era in the academic prowess of the Polytechnic.
Doctor Ogbo Usman said since his assumption of office in the institution, the polytechnic had scored many firsts in the areas of efficient infrastructural provision and administrative revolution
Other areas of achievements he said, include academic advancement, moral rebirth, and security architecture, all geared towards restoring the polytechnic to institutional preeminence.
