Merit and competence are increasingly gaining foothold in federal recruitment process, reckons

BAMIDELE ATOYEBI 

A retired NNPC director once confided in me: “If I were appointed as GMD of NNPC, the first thing I’d do is lay off hundreds of staff who contribute nothing. Many of them got in through godfathers or bribery and lack the technical know-how to move the company forward.”

His words, while harsh, reflected a reality Nigeria has lived with for far too long: a public sector bloated with disguised unemployment, where positions were filled neither by merit nor by passion for the job, but by connection or mere availability of the job.

Today, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, that tide is changing and changing fast.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), under the leadership of Dr. ZacchAdedeji, executed a transparent, nationwide recruitment exercise in 2024. Over 8,000 candidates were shortlisted from all corners of the country, culminating in the inauguration of 1,200 newly employed staff in 2025.

For the first time in years, FIRS didn’t rely on political patronage. There were no hidden slot-sharing schemes. No sons and daughters of privilege fast-tracked into government payrolls. It was merit-based and publicly verified.

At the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), recruitment had been stagnant for years. That changed under the leadership of MeleKyari and Olufemi S. Ojulari, as the company finally reopened its recruitment portal in late 2024.

Over 45,000 Nigerians applied, and after a transparent, competitive process, several hundred technical professionals were absorbed into key departments. For a sector as sensitive and strategic as oil and gas, this shift toward technical talent is a major reform milestone.

Under Comptroller-General Bashir AdewaleAdeniyi, the Nigeria Customs Service launched a recruitment process in January 2025 that attracted a staggering 573,519 applicants for 3,927 positions.

What followed was an orderly, technology-driven selection process free of political manipulation. No senators hoarded slots. No silent lists. No ‘uncle in Abuja’. Just qualifications, a working portal, and professionalism.

This level of transparency has not only improved the agency’s image but is gradually restoring faith in government employment processes.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) once carried the painful memory of the March 15, 2014 recruitment tragedy, where 16 to 24 young Nigerians lost their lives in stampedes across multiple states. That recruitment was eventually cancelled, and while compensations were paid, it left a dent on national morale.

Today, the story is different. Under Tinubu’s administration, NIS has conducted two successful and peaceful recruitment drives in January 2024 and March 2025 with no injuries, no confusion, and no political scandal. This is a mark of restored institutional competence and leadership accountability.

Historically, federal agencies especially revenue-generating ones were seen as spoils of war for the political elite. Slots at FIRS, NNPC, Customs, and Immigration were shared among governors, senators, and ministers, often to place unqualified family members in lucrative roles.

What we are seeing now is a break from that tradition. Tinubu’s appointments, like Adedeji at FIRS, Ojulari at NNPC, and Adeniyi at Customs, reflect his ideology of competence and loyalty to performance, not privilege.

When the foundation is destroyed, even the righteous are helpless. But today, the foundation is being rebuilt with bricks of merit, mortar of transparency, and blueprints drawn by visionary leadership.

This is not just jobs but justice for a generation.

This is more than employment reform. It is a rescue mission. For years, Nigeria’s best minds were sidelined because they lacked ‘connections.’ But now, from north to south, young Nigerians are applying and getting in simply because they are qualified.

This is justice for a generation left behind. It is about restoring dignity to work, fairness to opportunity, and purpose to public service.

We urge other key agencies and ministries like CBN, TETFUND, NIMASA, among others, to key into the Renewed Hope Vision of President Bola Tinubu so as to have a more prosperous and progressive Nigeria.

Atoyebi, the Convenor of the BAT Ideological Group, engages in accountability and policy monitoring while also serving as a social worker, criminologist, maritime administrator, and philanthropist