By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Civil Service Commission has introduced computer-based promotion examinations for 915 workers, mostly at directorate level, in a move aimed at eliminating undue influence in the process.
The candidates, drawn from the Universal Basic Education Board, Secondary Education Board, Education Secretariat, and other departments and agencies, began the test this week.
Chairman of the Commission, Emeka Eze, said the system would ensure that only those qualified to occupy substantive director positions advance, while ending the pressures that often trail manual promotion processes.
“As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration, we needed to introduce technology to avoid, first of all, the possibility of interference and pressures. And so, we will be the first commission to introduce CBT tests in Nigeria.
“Because the idea is that as we are finishing the result today, by next week the result is out. So there’s no possibility of anybody putting pressure on anybody for it. So this is a part of the renewed hope agenda of the present administration,” Eze stated.
He disclosed that the Commission, created by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike with the approval of President Bola Tinubu, had uncovered widespread age falsification during an ongoing verification of the workforce, leading to the compulsory retirement of those involved.
“We started by doing, first and foremost, a verification exercise to establish the number of workforce in FCT. And having almost finished that, the next level is to clear the backlog of promotions over the years.
“When His Excellency, Mr. Minister came on board, there was a backlog of outstanding promotions, to the extent that by 2023, when he came, he cleared all the backlogs of promotions dating back up to 2019, up to the level of deputy directors.
Meanwhile, the representative of the South-East in the Commission, Martins Azubuike, stated that participants who fail to scale through in the exams will have no one to blame for remaining in their position.
Azubuike also disclosed that the new system has come to stay, as it remains a measure that will also encourage workers to update their digital skills.
“If you can’t operate it, it means you can’t answer your questions. And at the end of the day, the computer will grade you. If it is zero, the computer will grade you. And those who are able to operate the computer and answer correctly, and of course, come at the top will get promoted to the tune of the number of vacancies,” Azubuike said.
