48,000 Job Seekers Jostle for 2,000 Vacancies in Ekiti Civil Service

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

No fewer than 48,000 unemployed youths are now jostling for 2,000 vacancies declared by the Ekiti State government in the Public Service.

Speaking on the development in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, the State Head of Service Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka, said 48,000 sat for the

recruitment exercise held in the state on Tuesday.

Faseluka who stated that the retirement of workers who were employed en masses between 1981 and 1982 by the Adekunle Ajasin-led government in the old Ondo State as a result of its gainful employment policy had created a lot of vacancies in the Public Service

He added that this category of workers who transferred their service on creation of Ekiti State massively exited between 2016 and 2017 having spent the mandatory 35 years of service.

The Head of Service said though there were more than 2,000 vacancies, the State Government was merely filling 2,000 critical job vacancies in different cadres of the service cutting across the core civil service, the Teaching Service, Primary Education Board, Hospitals Management Board, and parastatals.

He stressed that the ongoing recruitment was the only major recruitment embarked upon by government in the last four years.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Establishments and Training, Mr Olusesan Alabi, assured applicants that the recruitment will be merit-driven and not based on political patronage, even as successful candidates would undergo interviews.

He explained that some categories of applicants such as sweepers, security guards and gardeners would not partake in the written examination but would be subjected to oral interviews because of the nature of their jobs.

One of the applicants, Solomon Olukoko commended the state government for embarking on the recruitment exercise; saying that it would reduce youth unemployment and boost the economy of the state.

Another applicant, Ajayi Tosin expressed satisfaction at the conduct of the examination; saying that the organisers arrived the venue of the examination on time. She praised them for effectively managing the army of youths who wrote the examination.

Adetula Hellen who wrote the examination in Ado Ekiti centre urged the recruiting agencies to prioritise merit.