The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has debunked rumours claiming that it subjected job seekers to a nude screening exercise as a form of physical examination by certified medical practitioners from the Nigerian Air Force hospital.
The EFCC is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud, money laundering, and many other fraudulent activities.
According to the requirements placed by the anti-graft agency, potential recruits are expected to undergo some check up which includes a medical report, a test for illegal drugs, credit and record checks and interviews with former and current colleagues, teachers, business associates and others.
The list of successful candidates were recently published and they went for a physical examination test which has brought about wide spread of rumours, complaints and diverse views as to why the job seekers were put through a ridiculous process of examination which was carried out in complete nudity by the potential recruits.
While many people have called on the government to probe the faulty exercise, Charles Aiyengba, has written an open article to the anti-graft agency, criticizing the process and analysing the interview based on his opinion.
However, the antigraft agency has released a statement disassociating themselves from the act.
When contacted on the issue, the EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, in his response said,
“There was no inappropriate conduct by any official during the exercise. The physical fitness and medical tests were conducted by officers from the Nigerian Air Force Hospital who are well trained and adhere to the relevant code of medical practice.
The media must be wary not to become instruments of blackmail by applicants who failed the fitness test. “
Below is the article written by Charles:
For a government that rode to power on the wave of ‘change’ to have any of its agencies engage in the lunacy that unfolded in the recently conducted recruitment exercise of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is an indication of the sordid situation we are in.
A narrative of the experience of one of those who sadly had to undergo this harrowing spectacle will throw more light on how low some officials of state saddled with certain responsibilities have descended in the course of the performance of assigned duties; an exhibition of a skewed system handed over to perverts to run.
A young lady who contacted Moji Delano Blog had written the test a few months back in Lagos with several others and made the shortlist for the next level of selection process. She had spent an entire day at the test venue in Ikoyi but didn’t start to write until 1.00am! How ridiculous!!! Having made the shortlist, she was contacted and required to show up for the next level of the recruitment process which is the physical fitness test level and the venue stated was Kaduna.
Apart from the risk and trauma of getting to Kaduna for the fitness test, she and five other ladies were shocked to discover that the supposed test entails being compelled to strip Unclad in front of the recruitment coordinator for physical examination by a male operative of the EFCC who introduced himself (in a thick Hausa accent) as ‘Salleh’.
The candidates were told it is a mandatory procedure and whomever was not comfortable with it can take a walk and forfeit the selection. As if to parade nude before total strangers was not enough humiliation, the male officer (supposed examiner) had groping sessions freely touching the candidates inappropriately under the guise of physical fitness examination.
In fact to underline their uncompromising posture on the “no striping no selection”, a lady who obviously could neither comprehend nor process the absurdity in the strange process refused to strip and was outrightly disqualified, and not allowed to proceed and denied access to speak to a superior level officer.
The question then is, where and how on earth is this permissible and done in 21st century Nigeria of ‘change’?
It is grating to imagine in this age and time that young women will be subjected to such embarrassing and demeaning experience in the name of screening and selection process to engage for employment. It is difficult to imagine and believe this is the standard procedure of recruitment and it is only rational to assume the process has been deliberately manipulated by sexual perverts whose molestation of these young women will impact negatively on the ego and confidence of these young ladies.
It is not only unfair but the zenith of irresponsibility on the part of these sick examiner(s) to subject these female candidates who have successfully passed through universities, taken and passed recruitment test on merit to this kind of dehumanizing selection procedure; this is perversity unimaginable unfolding before our eyes…
Consequently, the following questions become imperative;
Why was a male officer assigned to examine female candidates for physical fitness?
Why would female candidates be mandated/compelled to take off their clothing to stark nudity in front of male officers?
When has the greedy eyes and groping fingers of anyone become a machinery to ascertain the physical fitness of another?
Is this the approved human resource selection process in the EFCC?
If the answer to (4) is in the affirmative, who approved this kind of process?
Has there been any kind of psychiatric evaluation for those officers involved in this infamy prior to this time?
What kind of country is this?
The afore stated are questions that are in need of urgent, reasonable and adequate answers by the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Mangu.
Nigeria cannot afford to have an agency as vital as the EFCC harbour sexual felons in its fold or employed supposedly fighting financial crimes. We owe ourselves and our generation this responsibility to protect our young ones from retards in uniform or position who eke satisfaction from the trauma of others.
We don’t know who else is suffering this humiliation in the other centers nationwide hence the need to unearth the perpetrators of this dastard act and make them face the full wrath of all known laws they might have infringed on to serve as deterrent to other lechers who sexually harass and molest young women.
The time is now for civil society, advocacy and right groups to rise up and tackle this unreasonable, irresponsible and unacceptable conduct.
Enough is Enough.
Article written by Charles Aiyenigba via Moji Delano Blog