Injustice In Custom Recruitment: Kano House Of Assembly Member Raises Alarm Over Recruitment, Say Lagos Got More Slots Than All Northern States Combined” – SIXT-MEDIA LANE
The Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Lawan Hussaini Dala has raised alarm over what he described as a gross injustice and imbalance in the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), alleging that the process favours the southern part of the country.
Speaking during plenary on Wednesday, Hon. Dala said the recruitment exercise violated the principles of Federal Character.
He said whereas there ought to be fairness and equal representation in federal appointments and employments, the recruitment was designed to favour a section of the country against the other.
“I am on this floor to challenge the way and manner the recruitment exercise is going on at the Nigeria Customs Service. To us, there is injustice, the Federal Character that was saddled with the responsibility of ensuring equitable sharing of rights wasn’t considered,” he stated.
According to him, a total of 1,785 candidates were recruited nationwide, but the distribution of the slots heavily favoured states in the South-West, particularly Lagos and Ogun States, which he said received a disproportionately higher share.
“Lagos alone got 207, Ogun 145, Ondo 132, Osun 127, Oyo 108, and Ekiti, which is not more than Nasarawa Local Government in Kano, got 93. Altogether, the South-West got 812 slots, more than half of the total number of recruits in the entire country,” Dala lamented.
He contrasted this with the allocations given to states in the North-West, describing the disparity as “unacceptable and unjustifiable.”
“In the North-West, Kano got only 31, Katsina 20, Jigawa 18, and Zamfara 16. Altogether, the entire region got only about 7 percent of the total number recruited,” he said.
The lawmaker further revealed that across the northern region, only 651 slots were allotted, while the bulk of the opportunities went to states in the southern part of the country.
“Honourable Speaker, this is injustice, and if we keep quiet on issues like this, our people will continue to be cheated. The entire northern region was just left with 651 slots. If this continues, the Nigeria Customs Service in a few years to come will belong to a particular ethnicity or region,” he warned.
Dala urged the House to officially communicate the Assembly’s concern to relevant federal authorities, including the National Assembly, the Federal Character Commission (FCC), and the Nigeria Customs Service, demanding a review of the recruitment process to reflect fairness and inclusivity.
He said such imbalances in federal employment opportunities could further deepen regional mistrust and threaten national unity if not promptly addressed.
“We are calling on the Federal Character Commission and other relevant agencies to ensure that recruitment into federal institutions adheres strictly to fairness, equity, and justice, as enshrined in our constitution,” Dala added.
Other members of the Assembly who spoke on the matter supported Dala’s motion, calling on northern lawmakers at the National Assembly to take up the issue and ensure that corrective measures are taken.
The Speaker of the House commended Hon. Dala for bringing the matter to light, describing it as “a patriotic move in defence of fairness and justice.”
He directed the relevant House Committee to investigate the recruitment figures and report back for further legislative action.
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