BY RITA OYIBOKA
THE Delta State Civil Service Commission has announced that it has successfully cleared the backlog of successful Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) candidates, a move the Commission says reflects the “deliberate policy” of the present state administration to strengthen the civil service.
The Chairman of the Commission, Noble Roseline Amioku, made this known, yesterday, during the official presentation of the report by the Panel of Assessors at the Commission’s headquarters in Asaba.
Speaking during the event, Amioku emphasised that the Commission now conducts the transfer of successful ASCON officers annually to avoid any backlog, noting that it enables the placement of deserving officers in positions where they can perform optimally.
“It has become a yearly exercise in consequence of which there is no backlog of successful ASCON candidates at the moment. It is part of the deliberate policy of the present administration in the state to run an all-inclusive government, of which civil servants are a critical part,” she said.
Amioku praised Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for his consistent approval and support of the Commission’s activities, stating, “Our assignment would not have been executed without the necessary support provided by our amiable Governor, who has been graciously approving the exercise since the inception of this administration. It is therefore appropriate for civil servants in the state to reciprocate this gesture by rededicating themselves to service.”
Presenting the report, Chairman of the Panel of Assessors, Mr. Theophilus Aguonye, disclosed that the panel sat for six weeks to screen and interview candidates for possible transfer into various administrative and departmental cadres in the state civil service.
According to him, “The panel was inaugurated by the Delta State Civil Service Commission on Wednesday, 6th August 2025, with the mandate to screen and interview serving civil servants who were successful in the 2025 ASCON Public Service Examination and to make appropriate recommendations to the Commission.”
He revealed that 56 candidates registered for the screening, but three were absent during different stages of the exercise. “A total of 53 candidates participated in the written tests and oral interviews.
The panel adopted a cut-off mark of 50 per cent and recommended 52 officers who met the criteria for transfer to different cadres in the state civil service,” he said.
Aguonye further explained that candidates who scored between 45 per cent and 49 per cent were recommended for transfer as Registrars of Cooperative Societies, while those who failed to reach 45 per cent were not considered.
He added that the panel observed a decline in applications for certain cadres. “Over time, candidates for the ASCON Public Service Examination no longer apply for the post of Executive Officer II and Registrar of Cooperative Societies II, a trend that is capable of making the cadres go into extinction. We therefore advise that the Commission address this issue through fresh recruitment of qualified candidates from outside the service,” he noted.
In his vote of thanks, a member of the panel, Mr. Osuya Ifeanyi, emphasised that clearing the backlog had resolved longstanding issues of supersession, where junior officers overtook seniors due to administrative delays.
He thanked the governor and the Commission’s leadership for their commitment to sustaining fairness and meritocracy in the state civil service.
