- Uncovers Fake Certificates, Age Falsification
- Many Sort Compulsory Retirement
- As Chairman Reveals Next Line Of Action
This week, The Pointer Platform is featuring the Chairman, Delta State Civil Service Commission, Hon Mrs Roseline Amioku, as she speaks of the ongoing varification/ screening of civil and public servants, the shocking discoveries, the falsification, and a lot more. Excerpts.
Shall we get to know you, madam, and could you please take us through your career journey?
I’m Hon. Chief (Mrs) Roseline Amioku, Chairman, Civil Service Commission, Delta State, and also Chairman of the State Screening and Verification Committee. I was State Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute of Continuing Education, ICE for four years. Thereafter, I became member of the Civil Service Commission, first as the second member, second, as the first member, and now I’m the Chairman.
I come from a political family. My late father, Chief Lawrence Dodo was a prominent political figure. He mentored many of the politicians you see today. I followed his footsteps in politics later on.
My husband wasn’t a politician at first; he was a career academic, a lecturer at the Delta State University, Abraka. Later, he moved to DSC, became a manager, and eventually ventured into politics.
Delta State Civil Service Commission under your watch has been engaged in the verification of civil and public servants. How has the exercise been. What has been your findings?
Ans: Well, it’s been a very good experience for me. I’ve learnt a lot, things I didn’t previously know about the workers in the state. And not just the civil servants, even the public servants. We’re gradually discovering a lot about them. And I’m happy that I’ve been put in this kind of situation, where I can get firsthand information about workers in the state.
We’re using eagle eyes to spot a lot of things. You’ll be surprised at the rate we’re identifying and catching those who falsify their age. You’d be shocked. Some of the affidavits they submit look so genuine, you’d think they’re being honest. But once you dig into the nitty-gritty of their files, especially the confidential files, what they claim and what’s inside are completely different.
Let me give you one example. Someone came here claiming to have been born in 1974. When we calculated the timeline; when he finished primary school, and all that. We told him: “You couldn’t have finished primary school at age 9. Why are you claiming this?” He started explaining, “My father was a teacher, my mother was a teacher.” I told him, “I’m a teacher too. My children didn’t even finish school at 10 years old.”You see, in homes that are enlightened, children start Kindergarten at age 3, and by age 6, they’re in primary school. So, they finish at about 12, minimum. But for those from less privileged or less enlightened backgrounds, they don’t start school early. That’s the truth.
Many didn’t. Back in those day, you couldn’t enter primary school until your hand could touch your ear; some of these workers are over 60 and still in service. So, I told the man, “This is not your age. There’s no way you could have graduated from the primary school at 10. This affidavit is not your own. Tell me your real age so I can help you.”Eventually, he opened up: “My sister, honestly, I was born in 1960.”I said, “So you added 14 years to your age? That’s so unfair. It’s unfair to the government, unfair to your children. You want to stay in service forever? When will your children get to work? You’re blocking their chances.”
He said, “HACKERBELLA gave me this age. “I replied, “HACKERBELLA didn’t have the eagle eyes we have. Look at the members of this team, they’re very intelligent, well-educated. We didn’t hire them from the streets like HACKERBELLA did. These are seasoned civil and public servants. We’ve got the Auditor-General (State) here, the Auditor-General (Local Government), too. Who will you bribe? None of them is hungry.”
At the end of the day, I told him, “Look, you might not pay back for the years you’ve illegally worked, but go and retire quietly. “We’re not here to witch-hunt anyone. What we’re doing is simply making sure people are doing the right thing. That’s why I told my team: we won’t work independently. We must work in the same hall. When any of us encounters a challenge while screening somebody, we all come together to resolve it. I’m sure many who came for the screening saw how we handled such issues. If there’s a problem, we call others.
A few days ago, we told a woman to bring her class register to prove her age. She brought a forged one. Someone had removed a name and inserted hers, photocopied it, and brought it. As soon as I saw it, I said, “You’ll go to jail for this. “I told her, “Tell me the headmaster who gave you this register. I need to sue him now. “She started begging, “Please, retire me.
” There are a lot of challenges. For example, from an Agency, we caught people printing certificates. We saw three fake certificates a few days ago. They’ve been dismissed. They’re begging now. Incidentally, two of them were recently employed in 2023, with fake certificates.’
How many people have the Commission weeded (Outright retirement) over fake certificates?
A lot of them. And we may still find more. All the certificates collected will be verified. As for the false First School Leaving Certificate, we’ve seen so many cases. I’ve lost count of. They are in the 100s. We are compiling reports. Unlike the ACAPELA exercise, where everything was compiled at the end, what we do here is instant judgment. As soon as we find a discrepancy, we remove the person from the payroll. The payroll master and the computer are both with us, right here. So, we do it immediately.
There was a woman who used her daughter’s certificate and even got promoted with it. When I saw the certificate and looked at her, I said, “Madam, this isn’t your certificate. Be honest, or you’ll go to jail for falsification and impersonation.”
At first, she denied it, saying she wrote the Primary six Examination herself. I called the CMD of the hospital and requested police intervention. She broke down and confessed, “My daughter was offered the job, but she refused it. So, I took it instead. “I told her, “Write your resignation letter. Since you’ve confessed, I won’t dismiss you.” She wrote it, and I endorsed it.
Another woman, a cleaner, came with a fake certificate. I told her, “This is fake. Why are you working with it?” She denied. I told her, “If you don’t admit it’s fake, I’ll hand you over to the police.” She panicked and said, “Let me go and call the person.” Till today, she has not come back. It is assumed that she has absconded, so her name has been removed from the payroll.
For civil servants who are handed immediate retirement due to violations of service rules, is there any arrangement in place for the prompt payment of their entitlement benefits?
Someone who broke service rules? Do you still expect us to help them? Some may have to refund salaries earned illegally. If you knew you were supposed to retire and didn’t, and then we pay you retirement benefits. That means we are “clapping” for you because what you did was right.
Look at this case: Someone born in 1959 was caught still working. He had already been cleared, but I asked to see his file again. I called the Clerk of the House of Assembly and asked for the nominal roll. The man’s DOB was 1959.I asked the Clerk, “Haven’t you seen this nominal roll? Why is this man still in service?” He said, he didn’t pay attention to it. I called the man in and told him, “You knew you were born in 1959. What are you still doing in service?” He just looked at me. I told him to carry his things and leave.
There was another case of someone we retired. He claimed he was born in 1969. We told him: You couldn’t have finish from the primary school at the age you claim. We follow the “Rule of 12.” If you have a genuine birth certificate or an old baptismal card, we accept those. I’m a Catholic, so I can tell an authentic Catholic baptismal card. Some are now submitting fake ones, I can tell. This screening exercise has revealed a lot to me.
Has the Commission received any petition since the screening exercise began?
No one has taken us to court, but we are ready if they ever do. We’ve got approval from the highest authority to do this work, so they can’t take us to that same authority. As for the court, we are fully prepared, because what we are doing is clean and genuine.
We are even keeping the files of those we suspect might go to court. Let me give you another example. Someone filled her confidential file with 1967 as her date of birth when she was first employed. But over time, she started using 1969. I asked, “Is this your handwriting? Is this your baby photo?” She said yes. I said, “You were employed as a graduate. Did someone fill this form for you?” She said no.I said,
“Then this is the age we’ll use. This was your innocent age, before you even thought of retirement. Go and swear to an affidavit with this DOB and bring it.”She hasn’t returned. But we’ve removed her name from the payroll already.
Regardless of who you are, we’ve taken her name off. You’d be shocked if I told you who she is. I’m waiting to be called, then I’ll go with the file.
And, how is the commission handling the issue of people going abroad for study leave. Have you come across such?
Very easy to handle. Any such civil or public servant who fails to submit for the screening at the time we finish is assumed to be abroad. If we don’t receive a report, that the person is sick and unable to attend (duly signed and noted), we cannot screen him or her. Their names will be removed from the payroll. Only the Governor can reinstate them. So, they’ll have to go and explain to the Governor why they didn’t show up.
Many have already started resigning. Some are even applying for voluntary retirement. If you write for voluntary retirement, I do not just approve it. All retirements come to my desk. I don’t just approve them. Just write, “PS, please treat.” Once I say “treat,” he already knows the person is in trouble and must appear before us to explain why the or she is voluntarily retiring. That’s what I’ve been doing.
How much of the workforce have you screened so far?
We’ve covered about 25 per cent of the workforce. Just 25 per cent, yet we’ve gained so much already.
What’s your assessment of the Governor’s performance in relation to the welfare of workers in the State?
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori genuinely cares for workers. He doesn’t joke with our welfare. From the moment he assumed office, the first thing he did was to pay the arrears civil servants were owed. He cleared arrears and still provided housing loans, even for transportation.
Even now, civil servants still operate on a one-week-in, one-week-out schedule because he recognises the cost of transportation and the high cost of living. He’s considerate. If you use all your salary for transport, you won’t be able to eat. He has also ensured that Permanent Secretaries who hadn’t received official cars in years finally got theirs. He’s done a lot and still has more in mind to do.
Any government that neglects its civil service is bound to fail. You need them to run the day-to-day affairs of government. If you treat them well, they will perform. Political appointees must work in synergy with civil servants; you can’t lord it over them. I commend the Governor on this.
In the area of infrastructure, he’s done wonders. Coming from the Asaba Specialist Hospital, I saw roads, narrow ones, being tarred. The man is working everywhere. I don’t know how he’s doing it or where the funds are coming from, but I’m shocked that he hasn’t borrowed a dime.
Look at the Warri Stadium, it was dead. Now, it’s being revived. He just approved a flyover in Ughelli and Agbor. God is helping him. People were once asking, “Who is Sheriff?” Now, a man they once called a nobody is doing what PhD holders couldn’t do. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has made Delta State proud. He’s approachable and he listens.
If he says he’ll do something, he’ll do it. If he can’t, he tells you outright, it’s not possible. And even if he can’t help, the way he talks to you brings comfort, unlike some people who will talk down on you and leave you feeling worse. He’s renovating schools and hospitals. He’s empowering citizens.
As Chairman, Delta State Civil Service Commission, what difference have you made since you came on board?
I think the civil/public servants are in a position to answer that. But I’ll say this: They’re dressing better now. Many of them also used to come late to work. At 10 or 11 am, many would just be resuming in their offices. That has changed. We also conducted training for staff between grade levels 5 and 10.
In the past, if two people were on level three, they respected each other. You saw a director, you stood up. That respect is gone now. We’re bringing it back. We are working with the Head of Service to build a proper civil service structure. It’s ongoing, by God’s grace.
What has been the challenges you’ve had in performing your duties as Chairman of the Commission?
Nothing good comes easy. We’ve faced many challenges, but God has helped us to navigate them.
What’s your take on the Nigerian women in politics, particularly in elective and appointive positions?
We’re going to get there, but we’re not there yet. I always tell women: No university was built for only men. We studied in the same schools. Some of us even performed better. But in politics, they try to push us aside. Why? We have women Doctors, Engineers, why can’t we lead too? Our operation started from the bible, but we say no. Look at Hon. Evelyn Oboro. We fought for her. She made history as the first woman to represent Delta Central in the House of Representatives and she served for two terms.
Not even the men have done that. But the backlash came hard. They said a woman can’t lead them. But it’s God that gives leadership, not man. In the last local government elections, out of 25 chairmanship slots, women didn’t get even one. But we got 23 vice-chairmanship positions. We thank Governor Oborevwori for that. He did well.
What’s your advice to women?
Women should stand by women. That’s the problem. Many women prefer to take money from men and betray fellow women. I don’t do that. If a woman fails, I fail with her. I stood by Evelyn Oboro even when my own relative contested against her. Women are the ones voting, yet they vote for men. Why? We must support each other. I am proud to be a woman. In my next life, I would still want to be a woman.
And what’s your take on women empowerment under Gov. Oborevwori’s administration?
He’s done well. We now have women chairing boards and commissions. He even empowers women without appointments, through contracts and support. He’s trying. With persistence, we’ll get more.
Beyond the screening exercise, what are your next plans for maintaining the integrity of the civil service?
Once this screening ends, we’ll verify certificates and ages at the point of employment. No more employment of people at age 45, who falsify their ages to stay longer. We will sanitise the system. By God’s grace, we’ll succeed.
