FG Clarifies New Recruitment Guidelines By MDAs

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mr. Danladi Kifasis,

•   Says no ban on new in-takes

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mr. Danladi Kifasis, has clarified that the federal government has not placed any ban on recruitment by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as was widely reported in the media, but has sanctioned stringent guidelines on new in-takes into the civil services.

Kifasi gave this clarification on Monday in a statement signed by the Assistant Director (Media Relations), HOSCF, Mr.  Mohammed Manga.

The HoS said all MDAs were only directed to adhere strictly to due process as is stipulated on Part iv Section 8 of the Public Service Guidelines for Appointments, Promotions and Discipline when conducting any recruitment or promotion exercises into the federal public service.

The process, he explained,  provides that all MDAs should forward their declarations to the Establishment and Management office “now Organisational Design and Development Department in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) that is responsible for Manpower Planning and Man Power Budgeting for onward passage to the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Kifasi said the directive became imperative because of the increase in the number of  MDAs that declare vacancies both for fresh appointments and promotion and sending them directly to the Federal Civil Service Commission without recourse to available resources in the budget.

He said this has caused serious shortfalls in annual budget provisions for personnel cost, especially with regards to meeting promotion and advancement obligations.

The Head of Service further said the directive of the government on MDAs to always declare vacancies for both recruitment and promotion into the Federal Public Service through the  OCHSF is necessary in order to ensure synergy of operations in the service.

Adding, he said that such vacancies declared must also be in conformity with the approved structure, manning level and budgets of all the MDAs.

On the issue of restrictions on Foreign training and travels, Kifasi pointed out that “the current economic downturn has called for the need to reduce the cost of governance through restricting such travels to the barest minimum and looking inwards to develop the capacity of public servants in a way that will equip them to add more value to the service.”

“It is in this vain that the two level structured mandatory training programmes are designed, the general capacity building programme and the leadership development training for officers in the civil service. The general capacity programme will commence in March 2015,” he disclosed.