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Alleged job racketeering at Kwara Civil Service

 

By Mumini AbdulKareem

Following allegations that the Kwara State Civil Service is allegedly involved in job racketeering, National Pilot has further dig into the matter to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the purported claim.
The commission was alleged by some “citizens” in the state who claimed that official of the commission was collecting the sum of N250,000 per job slot, with over a thousand reportedly employed through that route since 2015.
Many of the beneficiaries were said to have been posted to various stores in Government offices.
The Commission’s Secretary, Mrs Shittu Olufunke was alleged to have profited immensely from the alleged racketeering, embarking on a Dubai trip recently and building a country home in Offa, among others.
But in their separate reactions, the Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Salman Adelodun and Mrs Shittu vehemently denied the allegation.
They noted that persons who met brick wall trying to cut corners in securing employment for themselves and their cronies go around town inventing stories to discredit the commission.
According to Adelodun, the commission is always under pressure because of the issue of unemployment in the state and country and when they refuse to bow to pressure from those who regularly drop names of influential people in the state, they become the target of such group.
The chairman who also confirmed that the commission has been inundated with such allegation said they have once involved the State Security Services and other security agents in the state to look into the issue but nothing was found.
He challenged anybody with a shred of evidence to come forward with such claim(s) adding that the civil service under his leadership has never and would not breach laid down rules on employment issue in the state.
“This is another cooked up stories. I will say they are at it again and anytime they think that the state might soon release employment, they what to blackmail the commission before hand to fester their ulterior motive and paint the commission in bad light.
“These are all lies that have been on all along. This is my ninth year in the civil service and we are not strangers to this type of makeup stories.
“We have once invited the SSS and other security agencies in the state to investigate the matter but nothing were found and don’t be surprised, you will continue to hear it. But we are not strangers to such stories but we will continue to stay on our mandate and carry out duties in line with the laws, rules and regulation guiding the commission,” he added.
On her part, Mrs Shittu expressed surprise and amusement when confronted with the allegation that she had immensely benefitted from job racketeering. She also denied having any personal house in Offa.
She explained that her trip to Dubai was not a private one but under the auspices of the state Head of Service, Mrs Susan Modupe Oluwole who organised training for top civil servants in the state.
She added that she made the trip alongside some Permanent Secretaries, Auditor General and the Accountant General of the state.
“I don’t even have a shop in Offa not to talk of a country home. I and my husband are from Offa and he is the one who has a house there. I live at Tanke here in Ilorin and because of some of these concocted stories, I don’t normally attend to people personally but I direct them to go through the office. She said she would not be surprised if those behind the allegation also try to connect their claim with the chieftaincy title to be conferred on her husband by the Olofa of Offa, Oba
Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II on May 12, 2018.
“I will not be surprised if they also link the traditional title to be conferred on my husband by the Olofa of Offa to my office,” she submitted.

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