Abiodun directs refund of recruitment fees in Ogun

Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, has directed the refund of recruitment fees paid by applicants for civil service positions in the state.

In a statement on Thursday, Tokunbo Talabi, secretary to the state government, said the directive is in line with the economic hardship sweeping across the nation.

“The governor directed the civil service commission to refund all administrative fees, notwithstanding the fact that these are standard and historical fees that have been in place for decades,” the statement reads.

“These fees are charged by the civil service commission on behalf of third-party independent examiners who administer and supervise the Computer Based Test (CBT).

“The aim is to alleviate the suffering of the citizens and create employment in the state. This necessitates the directives to immediately refund fees paid along with a waiver for any new applications.”

On Wednesday, Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election,    criticised Abiodun on his X page, describing the fees as an “extortion”.

Sowore said it was unjust to charge unemployed youths for job applications.