Group urges veterinary institute recruitment exam cancellation

A group,the NVRI Renaissance Vanguard, has called on the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to cancel last month’s recruitment exam at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, Plateau State.

The group said the exam violated Federal Character procedures for recruitment into federal public services.

The NVRI Renaissance Vanguard and the Justice Watch Group had last month petitioned the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the FCC to investigate alleged years of ‘lopsided appointments’ at the institute.

In a fresh letter of complaint to the FCC on 20th September, the NVRI Renaissance Vanguard described the institute’s latest recruitment exams on August 28th as a “sham and unfair process,” alleging that the management of NVRI had failed to spread the existing vacancies to be filled in relation to the current level of federal character representation by states or zones with consideration on gender representation and the physically challenged. The letter which was signed by the group’s Chairman, Ethics and Public Petition Committee, Dr. Douglas Nicholas and Secretary, Odeh Salamatu stated that selected applicants had been invited to Vom for exams without appropriate advertisement, “as required by the FCC Act which stipulates that all vacancies shall be advertised in at least two newspapers circulating nationally, giving prospective candidates a minimum of six weeks within which to apply.”

The NVRI Executive Director, Dr. David Shamaki did not answer his call or reply to a text message on the matter. However, our correspondent gathered that the ED had on Saturday told journalists that he was aware of the petition and had replied the Federal Character Commission.