BY CHIKA KWAMBA/OGORAMAKA AMOS/PAUL EGEDE/PERCY IDUBOR
As recent as February 2025, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned one Takat Sabo, a staff of the Ministry of Employment over job racketeering allegations. It was said that the accused defrauded a job seeker of N800,000 under the pretence of securing employment in the Federal Civil Service Commission.
But this singular arraignment by the ICPC is just needle in a hay stack as more witnesses had appeared before the National Assembly in 2023 to admit making payments to a former assistant of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Chairman, Haruna Kolo for job slots and receiving salaries without being assigned to any government institution.
Today, securing a job in Nigeria, particularly in government establishments or reputable private organisations, is increasingly becoming nightmarish. From Asaba to Port Harcourt and from Agbor to Benin, The Pointer feels the pulse of Nigerians, mostly unemployed graduates who lament the choking grip of job racketeering, even as they suggest ways to tame the menace.
A respondent who spoke with our reporter in Port Harcourt, Chika Okafor, who is a 28-year-old mechanical engineering graduate and has been unemployed for two years, admitted that he was once asked for ₦400,000 to secure a job in a government agency.
“Yes, I have been asked to pay for a job. It happened last year. I saw an advert for a position in a government agency. After applying, I got a call from someone who claimed to be a staff member. He said my name was on the shortlist, but I needed to pay N400,000 to ‘secure’ the job. I didn’t have that kind of money, so I begged him to reduce it. He said the lowest was N300,000. When I couldn’t pay, my name suddenly disappeared from the list. Later, I heard the slots were given to people who paid.”
“I have been unemployed for two years and counting. Every time I apply, it’s either ‘your application is under review’ or they ask for money. It’s frustrating because I know I’m qualified, but the system is rigged’’ he said.
His frustration has led him to believe that the government and reputable companies do not employ based on merit. ‘’If it were based on merit, people like me would have been employed long ago. Most jobs go to those who know someone or can pay. Even when they conduct exams, the results are manipulated.”
Asked if he would expose job racketeers, Chika said he would do so only if his identity is protected. “These people are powerful. They can ruin your life if they find out you exposed them.”
Meanwhile, another graduate of computer engineering, who has been unemployed for one year and eight months, Chimezie Smith, told our correspondent, “I was asked to pay for a job opportunity. Then, I had just finished my Higher National Diploma (HND) and I had gotten a job offer, but I was asked to pay, and the amount they charged was not much, and at the time, I didn’t have money to pay. So, I just had to leave the premises immediately because I noticed they were already acting shady”.
“After I had resigned from my previous job as an IT trainee, I had stayed unemployed for about a year and eight months. Job search has not been easy, and the stress is just too much. I can boldly say that jobs in government and reputable companies are no longer on merit because everything is now done based on “man-know-man”
‘’People who are already employed in the system tend to help their friends and family members, not minding if they are even qualified for the position, and they push away the application of those who merit the job. Some, who are employed or those who hold high positions in government and reputable companies, go as far as selling the vacant positions.
“Due to the state of insecurity in Nigeria, reporting or exposing someone who is involved in job racketeering is quite difficult because you find out that some security agencies tend to work with these people, and instead of them to stop the crime, they tend to turn against the victim. So, yes. I may not expose them, rather I let it go” Smith said.
Susan Herbert, a Microbiology graduate, who spoke to our correspondent said “I have been unemployed for close to a year now and the job search has not been forthcoming and it has not been easy as I expected it to be because companies ask for some years of experience and one cannot get experience If you haven’t gotten an opportunity to work. So, it has been stressful”,
“From my experience, I can say that jobs in government or reputable companies are not given based on merit. For instance, companies like Shell or NNPCL do not even or hardly post recruitment exercises or job vacancies. You find out that senior officials already have slots, which they fill up with their people or the highest bidders, and then thousands of applications sent will be thrown out.
She recalls her experience with a reputable company (name withheld). ‘’The company had posted a job vacancy for Interns to apply. I met all the criteria needed for the job opportunity, but what disqualified me was the fact that I did not have a referee or a senior officer in a managerial position who works with the company. They weren’t asking for ordinary staff as a referee; they were asking for someone at the directorate or managerial level.
‘’I lost that opportunity because I did not know anyone on that level, and candidates who had relatives in that position got the job, not minding their lesser qualifications. It was quite unfortunate. I strongly believe that government jobs and reputable companies do not give jobs based on merit. If at all they do, it is just a few of them”
“If there is a bad apple in the basket, you take it out so that it does not spoil the other apples. But in this case, all the apples are already spoiled. Most of the people involved in job racketeering are those in the system who extort money from applicants.’’ Susan said.
Also, an anonymous graduate of Business Administration who has been unemployed for one year narrated her experience as a victim of job racketeering.
“I experienced something worse. There was a job agency who normally helped some reputable firms to recruit staff and they get 30 to 50 per cent of the employee’s first month salary as their charge but I didn’t mind the condition because the job opportunity I saw on their website had a good pay and I applied since I was qualified for the job.
‘’We were later invited by the agency for some tests, which were in three stages. The first and second stages were conducted by the agency, and then the final stage was an oral interview with the company. I passed the first test, and when it got to the second test, the agency’s instructor began to act funny. He refused to allow me to partake in the second stage, even when my name was on the list. He asked me to wait aside while others were writing.
‘’I waited for him, and then he said that he would allow me to join others if I came to the hotel where he lodged after the test. I was disgusted and angry. I asked him if I wasn’t qualified, and he said I was, but that if I pay a visit to him, it would fast-track my employment because I would be his candidate. I walked out on him, went straight to the examination hall and called the man out for what he did. Although I lost the opportunity, I was glad I did my best.”
“Companies should have strict policies against bribery and harassment. There should be anonymous reporting channels so victims can speak up without fear. Also, government agencies need to conduct random checks on employment processes’’ the unnamed respondent said.
Meanwhile, a data analyst, Larry Oboh, who spoke to our reporter in Asaba, said, ‘’ I have encountered situations where I was indirectly asked to pay money for a job opportunity. In one case, after passing the preliminary stages of a recruitment process, a contact in the organisation hinted that a “token of appreciation” would help secure the final offer. I declined, as I believe that job opportunities should be based on merit and not on underhanded dealings.
‘’Also, I was unemployed for over nine years after graduation, and the experience was both challenging and enlightening. I came across many opportunities that initially seemed promising but later turned out to involve one form of exploitation or the other. However, I’ve also used the time to improve my skills and expand my network, which later landed me a legitimate opportunity.
‘While there may be a few exceptions, the current system often favours those with connections or those willing to pay their way through. Merit still matters in some reputable firms, but systemic corruption and favouritism have tainted many recruitment processes, particularly in government institutions. Job racketeering deprives qualified individuals of fair opportunities and undermines the integrity of the employment system. Exposing such practices is necessary to create a more just and transparent job market.
He suggested that there should be a centralised and transparent recruitment process, especially for government jobs, with third-party oversight. ‘’Whistleblower protection laws should be strengthened, and offenders, both the buyers and sellers of job slots, must be prosecuted. Public awareness campaigns can also help people recognise and resist corrupt recruitment practices’’ he said.
Likewise, a former Delta State Head of Service, Sir Paul Evuarherhe, opined that vacancies in both public and private firms should be advertised online and in print media. ‘’All applications should be submitted and processed online, and the list of successful candidates should be published online and through the print media, too. This will promote transparency to a good extent.’’
In the words of a pharmacist, Lilian Kyriah, ‘’I’m aware that job racketeering is a concern in Nigeria, where some individuals may demand payment or favours for job placements. I believe that jobs in government and reputable companies should be based on merit, but unfortunately, I have doubts if this is always the case in Nigeria.
‘’Job racketeering and other forms of corruption can undermine merit-based systems, making it challenging for qualified candidates to secure positions. It’s essential to promote transparency and fairness in the job market, ensuring that positions are filled based on merit rather than bribery or favouritism.
‘’To stop job racketeering, I suggest strengthening institutional frameworks to ensure transparency in hiring processes, implementing strict penalties for those involved in job racketeering, promoting awareness campaigns to educate job seekers about their rights and the dangers of job racketeering, encouraging whistleblowing and protecting those who report such practices and fostering a culture of meritocracy in both government and private sectors’’ Kyriah said.
In Agbor, the headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, many respondents said they remained employed because they don’t have money to pay as bribes. One of such respondents, Mr Ifeanyi Abiamuwe, said he was asked to pay money to secure a job opportunity many years ago.
Mr Abiamuwe recalled how an Ime-Obi indigene, who was a retired Nigerian Prison Officer, told them to pay N150,000 in 2005 to secure a job in the Nigerian Prison Service now known as Nigerian Correctional Service.
He recalled that as a young man who graduated from the now-defunct College of Education, Agbor in 2004, he tried his best to raise the money, but he could not as the amount was very huge at the time. He said he lost the opportunity due to his inability to raise the money.
However, he said, it was quite unfortunate that his friend from a wealthy background, who paid a huge amount of money to the retired prisoner officer, could not get the job as the man could not fulfil his part of the agreement.
He said one of the disadvantages of paying money to lobby for a job is that ‘’when it fails, you cannot have the boldness to ask for the refund of your money through the legal means, police, court or through the palace as you may be found guilty for giving bribe to secure a job, especially when the racketeer is unwilling to refund your money.’’
Abiamuwe noted that he has been unemployed since he graduated in 2004, adding that he has attended a series of job interviews, particularly in the teaching profession, written many exams and at the end, he was disqualified without him knowing the reason for his disqualification.
He said that corporate organisation employment may be based on merit, but he argued that in the government sector, employment is not based on merit but ‘’ on connection and your money to buy a slot.
Another Agbor resident, Mr Nweke Ehima, confessed to giving N150,000 to balance N100,000 as soon as the deed was done to a high-profile individual in Ika South who promised to help him secure a teaching job for his wife, an NCE holder, during the tenure of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. He said the money became a waste as his wife was not employed, and the money was never refunded.
Similarly, Mr Ebube Yeolawa, a worker in the private sector who said he is still believing God for a government job, suggested that the government should make job applications online and constitute an independent body to conduct interviews. ‘’With these, I believe lobbying, who-know-who and job racketeering could be minimised to the barest.
While many are not lucky in ‘’paying to get a job, the story of the Executive Director of Society for Empowered Youth Development, Doris Onyinyechi Ogbeifun, who spoke to The Pointer in Benin, the Edo State Capital, is different. “Yes, I was asked to pay money or offer a favour in exchange for a job opportunity, and I was given the job.
“I have been self-employed for the past 10 years, and my job search experience has been horrible. Jobs in Nigeria are not based on merit and competence at all due to nepotism, discrimination, tribalism, ethnicity, religion and sometimes for the highest bidder (money).
I suggest that job openings and selection processes should be transparent and based on meritocracy and competence to encourage productivity and accountability in the system”.
