By Augustine Ehikioya
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Hashimu Argungu (Rtd), has called for proper and defined background checks in the nation’s recruitment process.
This, he said, is to ensure that the right people are selected and given opportunities to contribute to nation building.
He made the call on Wednesday, August 14th, 2024 at the 6th edition of the Commission’s ‘Arena of Knowledge’ weekly lecture series in Abuja.
The PSC Chairman spoke on the topic “Hiring and Firing in the Public/Civil Service: Police Service Commission (PSC) Employment and Recruitment Template, Process and Practices,”
According to him, recruitment needs planning to meet all the objectives such as best skills, best jurisdiction and must be democratic.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, DIG Argungu noted that getting the right people into positions in the nation’s beurocracy is not easy and required an effective intake process in which skills and knowledge of individuals are matched with the demands of the jobs.
He insisted that successful recruitment will be difficult “if jobs are vaguely defined ” adding that it is also necessary “to search for and secure the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time”.
Background checks for applicants, he said, should include, schools attended, previous places worked, whether convicted for criminal offences, public records such as birth, marriage, divorces etc.
DIG Argungu said appointments into all grades in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies should be on need basis.
Also speaking on the same topic at the Arena of Knowledge lecture series, Mr. Sunday Abutu Garuba, Assistant Director in the Department of Human Resource Management in the Commission said hiring and firing in the Public Service are critical processes that require adherence to established rules, regulations and guidelines.
Mr Garuba noted that the Public Service Rules (PSR) provides a framework for ensuring merit, transparency and fairness in the selection and management of civil servants.
“Effective hiring practices attract top talents, while fair and just Firing proceedures maintain accountability and integrity in the Public Service” he explained.
Mr Garuba remarked that by following due process and upholding the principles of public service, “we can build a competent, efficient and responsive civil service that serves the nation with integrity and excellence”.
