Ogun cancels N10,000 job application fee, orders refund

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Thursday, cancelled the collection of N10,000 administrative fee from applicants seeking employment in the state’s civil service.

The governor directed the Chairman of the state’s Civil Service Commission to stop the collection forthwith and also make a refund to job applicants who already paid.

The development was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi.

Talabi said Abiodun extended the gesture considering the prevailing harsh economy in the country.

He pointed out that the job application fee had been in place for decades and was “charged by the Civil Service Commission on behalf of third-party independent examiners who administer and supervise the CBT test and centres.”

The SSG said, “The state government, as a gesture of good faith and in acknowledgment of the current economic situation in the country, also taken into consideration the ultimate aim of the recruitment exercise, which is to alleviate the suffering of the citizens and create employment in the state, and instructed the immediate refund of fees paid along with a waiver for any new applications.”

The Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Roseline  Jacobs, had in a statement on Monday  indicated the readiness of the state government to fill vacancies across ministries, departments and agencies.

The vacancies include medical personnel, accountants, civil, mechanical and electrical Engineers, architects,town planning officers, among others.

 “The applicants must be from reputable universities and polytechnics and are to obtain tellers from Room A261 at the Civil Service Commission, Oke-mosan , Abeokuta for Application Form on payment of a non-refundable fee of N10,000,” Jacobs had said.

The statement urged applicants to submit their fully completed application forms alongside their credentials on or before Thursday, August 8, 2024.

Our correspondent gathered that about 500 applicants are being targeted for these job opportunities.