The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria has commended the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for what it described as a transparent, innovative and largely seamless 2025 recruitment exercise conducted across Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies.
This statement formed part of the communiqué issued on Wednesday, after tthe Fourth Quarter (Q4) End of Year Meeting of the Council.
The Civil Society body praised the Federal Ministry of Interior and its agencies; the Civil Defence, Correctional Service, Fire and Immigration Services and others for deploying a centralised, technology-driven recruitment process that resulted in a relatively seamless and credible outcomes.
According to NCSCN, the use of a unified online portal, public release of shortlisted candidates, and repeated warnings against recruitment fraud significantly reduced manipulation and restored public confidence in government hiring processes.
“The 2025 recruitment exercise reflects the Minister’s commitment to accountability and institutional reform. Despite the magnitude work and inevitable technical challenges, the Minister’s prompt interventions ensured fairness, transparency and protection of applicants’ data,” the Council posited.
According to available reports, the 2025 recruitment exercise attracted nationwide interest and large application volumes, placing significant demands on the portal and the boards administering the exercise. The Minister personally intervened to order urgent fixes and the complete upload of applicant data when the portal experienced intermittent crashes, a move the Council praised as proactive and responsive governance.
The Council further noted that the Minister’s hands-on leadership, including swift directives to resolve portal glitches and ensure full data upload, demonstrated political will to safeguard the integrity of the exercise.
NCSCN, in the communiqué, urged the Ministry to consolidate the gains recorded by institutionalising the digital recruitment framework, conducting an after-action review, and strengthening public awareness, via enhanced Media and Civil Society engagements, to curb the activities of fraudsters targeting job seekers.
The Council reaffirmed its support for reforms within the interior sector, stressing that transparent recruitment remains critical to building professional, accountable and people-oriented security architecture.
