Taiwo Stephen Ayodeji, a former civil servant at the Ministry of Power, is facing forgery charges for securing a job through the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) with a fake appointment letter, FIJ has gathered.

Ayodeji also collected salaries for 11 months, totalling N760,705.44, while fraudulently holding the position.

The trial, made public by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday, exposes a lack of due diligence in the FCSC’s recruitment process and payroll management.

Mayen Gajere, the retired Deputy Director of Recruitment at the FCSC, testified for the ICPC, explaining the recruitment procedures for government parastatals and how the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) should function. However, Ayodeji bypassed both systems with a forged letter.

According to the Nigerian Public Service Rules, no officer in the civil service can be employed without the authorisation of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. As Section 020101 of the rules states:

“Appointments to public offices in the Federal Civil Service are made on the authority of the Federal Civil Service Commission… by letter written under the direction of the Federal Civil Service Commission.”

Moreover, Section 020205 of the Public Service Rules outlines the eligibility criteria for appointment into the Federal Public Service. It states that every applicant must:

“No officer shall be appointed into the Federal Public Service without authorisation for appointment from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and supervisory boards in the case of parastatals.”

Also, the IPPIS, which is meant to ensure public servants are paid based on legitimate appointments, failed to flag Ayodeji’s suspicious employment status.

The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation explains that one of IPPIS’s main goals is “to prevent wastage and leakages by ensuring staff remuneration is based on factually correct information”. Yet, Ayodeji’s name appeared on the platform with no supporting documentation.

Victor Okorafor, an ICPC officer serving as Prosecution Witness 4, testified that the commission wrote to the Office of the Accountant General to confirm Ayodeji’s employment status.

The response, dated May 18, 2022, confirmed Ayodeji’s name appeared on the IPPIS platform but without documents on file. When interviewed, Ayodeji mentioned one Williams Umude, who was associated with IPPIS, as the person who helped him secure the fake appointment letter.

This is not the first time the FCSC’s processes have come under scrutiny. In 2022, the commission dismissed 23 officers from the Ministries of Works and Housing for similar issues, as reported by The Punch. Gajere was serving as the deputy director of recruitment at the time.

In addition to forgery, Ayodeji is also accused of making false statements to ICPC officers, violating Section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, which is punishable under Section 25(1)(b).

Ayodeji pleaded not guilty when arraigned in February 2024 and was granted bail. After hearing the testimonies, the judge adjourned the case until March 2025. (FIJ, excluding headline)