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By Anthony Otaru, Abuja
The troubling trend of job racketeering in Nigeria’s public service has again resurfaced, casting a heavy shadow over the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).
Instead of offering hope to thousands of young Nigerians seeking gainful employment, the process has become clouded by allegations that shortlisted applicants are being pressured to pay between ₦2.5 million and ₦3 million to secure a place in the final selection stage.
This revelation, uncovered through weeks of enquiries, interviews, and scrutiny by ThisNigeria, paints a picture of a recruitment system threatened by entrenched corruption, desperation among applicants, and the weak enforcement of rules intended to ensure transparency.
The unfolding situation deepens concerns about the already fragile state of Nigeria’s civil service and the credibility of public institutions.
Several shortlisted applicants disclosed to ThisNigeria that officers connected to the recruitment process openly demanded money from them in exchange for “guaranteeing” their appointment.
Some say the requests began shortly after their names appeared on the shortlist published on the official FCSC portal.
A married woman, shortlisted for the post of Accounting Officer, said she was stunned when she was directly approached inside the Commission.
“I actually applied for the post of an Accounting Officer, by God’s grace, I am one of those that have been shortlisted for the next round of the interview exercise, but what shocked me was that a senior officer in the Commission walked to me the last day I visited the Commission and said I should quickly go and arrange for ₦3 million.
“He assured me that with that, my appointment will scale through no matter what. I’ve already told my husband, and our target now is to sell his old vehicle to enable me to raise the cash,” she recounted.
Another shortlisted candidate, a 25-year-old pharmacist, echoed the same frustration:
“I was asked to go and bring ₦3.5 million because at the end of the day, the exercise is going to be a normal process, and those who pay money will get the jobs. I’m yet to find a way out of this anyway.”
Their testimonies align with earlier warnings that recruitment into the civil service is now widely perceived as a transactional affair, where merit is overshadowed by money, influence, and connections.
Many applicants interviewed were fearful of speaking openly, worried that exposing the bribery syndicate might lead to their disqualification.
According to the Federal Civil Service Commission, interest in the ongoing recruitment has been unprecedented.
In October 2025, the Commission publicly declared vacancies through the official recruitment portal, inviting applications across various cadres.
The Director of Press at the FCSC, Taiwo Hassan, confirmed the scale of applications received.
“We received over 400,000 successful applications for the various vacancies that were declared for the ongoing recruitment exercise, but after thorough scrutiny, over 172,000 have been shortlisted for the next round of the exercise,” he told ThisNigeria.
With nearly half a million applicants competing for limited positions, the demand far outstrips the available slots, fueling vulnerability to exploitation. Several applicants told this newspaper that the very moment shortlists were released, calls and approaches from “insiders” intensified, each promising influence and smooth passage for a fee.
*Worsening unemployment deepens desperation
Part of the renewed pressure is tied to Nigeria’s unemployment realities.
Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that in Q1 2024, unemployment for persons with post-secondary education stood at 9.0 per cent, while unemployment for those with postgraduate degrees was 2.0 per cent, and the overall national unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent.
Despite the overall figure appearing low compared to previous years, analysts consistently warn that it masks the high level of underemployment, the shrinking private sector space, and the persistent difficulty fresh graduates face in securing stable jobs.
Coupled with rising inflation, job scarcity in the formal sector has created what experts describe as “pressure-cooker conditions” for young Nigerians.
It is within this environment of economic hardship and competition that job racketeering thrives. For many applicants, some of whom have been unemployed for years, paying a bribe is seen not as corruption but as a necessary evil to escape poverty.
The current revelations are simply the latest manifestations of a problem that has dogged Nigeria’s public service for years.
Multiple documented cases highlight how deeply embedded the practice has become.
An NSCDC officer was charged with allegedly taking ₦150,000 from two individuals in exchange for jobs in the Nigerian Immigration Service.
A former employee in the Office of the Head of Service was sentenced to seven years in prison for demanding and receiving ₦162,500 from a job seeker.
An officer at the Ministry of Labour and Employment was arraigned for collecting ₦800,000 under the false pretence of securing a civil service position.
These cases are only fragments of a much larger phenomenon. Interviews with several retired and serving officers reveal that racketeering structures within ministries often operate through networks that include messengers, clerks, senior officers, and sometimes external contacts.
A retired Director in the Ministry of Finance, Okorafor James, described the situation as usual but dangerous.
“Are you surprised? Please don’t, because the recruitment processes into the civil service have become something else. Instead of recruiting based on qualification, competence and in line with the Federal Character Commission’s principles, all of these don’t matter now,” he said.
He explained that even before recruitment adverts are published, political pressures and unofficial allocations often distort the process.
“I must tell you that though the recruitment was advertised, but before you know it, slots will come from the Presidency, National Assembly, the Ministries and the remaining slots will be hijacked by powerful officers for sale that is the trend, it’s unfortunate,” he added.
*Experts warn rot threatens integrity of public service
Governance and civil society experts describe the situation as a systemic threat with long-term consequences.
Eze Onyekpere, Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), stated that the issue extends beyond mere corruption.
“Job openings in the public service are meant to be filled through a merit-based due process that attracts the best in knowledge and character to serve the public good,” he said.
He warned that the continued sale of jobs represents a collapse of institutional integrity, arguing that it erodes public trust and severely undermines efficiency.
“The idea of jobs for sale is about state institutional failure, the elevation of putrefaction and decadence radiating from base characters who occupy public office into an art for governance.”
Founder of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, called on the government to urgently sanitise the recruitment process and ensure that only competent candidates from all six geopolitical zones are hired.
As the recruitment exercise progresses, the allegations raise broader questions about the sustainability of the civil service.
When positions are sold rather than earned, new entrants often arrive with the mindset of recovering their investment, further entrenching corruption.
A collapse of meritocracy, one of the core pillars of the civil service.
The danger is not theoretical. Several ministries and agencies already struggle with low productivity, outdated processes, and inefficiency—some of which insiders link to decades of compromised recruitment.
With thousands of young Nigerians placing their hope in the current FCSC exercise, the fear is that unless the government imposes strict oversight and transparency, the system risks drifting further into the hands of racketeers.
