The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), has intensified monitoring of the ongoing screening of applicants seeking employment slots in the three agencies.

A member of the board, who craved anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the measure is to ensure transparency, fairness and strict compliance with procedures.

NAN correspondents, who monitored the medical aspect of the exercise on Monday at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Headquarters, Abuja, report that two board members – Mrs Juliet Olaniyan and Mr Kazim Yusuf – monitored it.

Yusuf, while commenting on the exercise, advised applicants to carefully check their invitation slips to confirm their assigned screening venues and time, before arriving at centres.

He said that applicants assigned to other centres and states wrongfully came to NSCDC, Abuja for their screening.

“Yes, we have had people who came here and discovered that this was not their centre so we asked them to go to their assigned centres,” he said.

He added that a female applicant, who arrived at the centre without being assigned there, was also advised to leave and proceed to the appropriate venue.

“There was a lady here today who had not been assigned to any screening venue.

What she carried on her slip was not NSCDC, Umar Musa Yar’Adua Way as the screening centre, so I advised her to go to the right place and she left immediately,” he said.

Yusuf further explained that the medical screening involved various health checks, including pulse rate, height measurement, hearing assessment, full blood count and other medical evaluations required to determine candidates’ fitness for service.

He noted that the hearing assessment was important because successful candidates must be able to receive instructions effectively while carrying out their duties.

He said the screening exercise was structured in batches to ensure orderliness and prevent congestion.

“The candidates are here to ensure that they check their slips to know the particular venue they are supposed to be at.

“This is NSCDC and everything is scheduled. There is time for everything; from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. is one batch, another batch comes from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

“Another batch is from 12 noon to 1 p.m. That is the sequential arrangement of the medical screening,” he said.

Also speaking, Olaniyan said the board was at the centre as observers to ensure that the exercise was conducted smoothly and that no qualified applicant was denied access to the screening.

“We are from the board, we are representing the board to make sure that there is a smooth exercise here in Sauka.

“We are here as observers to monitor the exercise and ensure that it is fair and seamless for everyone, so as not to deny any person access to this medical screening,” she said.

She disclosed that the exercise commenced at about 9 a.m., adding that close to 100 applicants had been screened as of the time of the visit.

According to her, about 300 candidates were expected to undergo screening at the centre for the day.

She explained that the monitoring was part of the board’s effort to ensure credibility and confidence in the recruitment process.

The Board representatives reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring a credible, transparent and seamless recruitment exercise. (NAN)

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