The Senate has moved a step further towards criminalising employment by Ministries, department and Agencies (MDAs) into federal government offices without first advertising the vacancies.
The bill for an Act seeking to make such federal employments an offence passed for second reading yesterday
The Bill also seeks to promote integrity and transparency in the recruitment of personnel into the federal civil service by making it an offence for a federal ministry, agency or parastatal to fill existing vacancies in their organisations if such vacancies have not been published.
If the Bill is passed into law, it becomes an offence for heads of MDAs who violate the provisions punishable on conviction with a fine of N3 million or 2-year jail term or both.
This followed a motion moved by Senator Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti South) for a Bill titled ‘A Bill for an Act to make it an offence for vacant positions in the Federal Civil Service to be filled without their being advertised and for other matters connected therewith, 2017.’
The Red Chamber passed the Bill to second reading and referred the Bill to the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service to work on it and report back in four weeks.
When it is passed into law, it shall be an offence for MDAs to fill a vacancy in their establishment unless the vacancies are placed on their notice board for 3 months before the commencement of the recruitment exercise.
In addition, the vacancies and the positions with the requirements are to be sent to the Federal Civil Service Commission immediately upon the existence of such vacancies for appropriate action.
The Bill reads: ‘’Any person who violates the provisions of Section 1 of the Bill commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N3 00,000) or to imprisonment for a term of not more than Two years or to both.
“Where a Federal Ministry, agency or parastatal commits an offence under subsection (1), any officer, director or agent of the Federal Ministry, agency or parastatal who directed, authorized, assented to or acquiesced or participated in the commission of the offence is a party to and guilty of the offence and is liable on conviction to the punishment provided for the offence, whether or not the Federal Ministry, agency or parastatal has been prosecuted for or convicted of the offence”.
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