By our reporter
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has ordered a fresh nationwide verification of federal civil servants employed between 2013 and 2020, in a decisive move to uncover fake employment letters and dismantle alleged job racketeering networks within the public service.
The directive, issued in a circular dated August 4, 2025, by Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), targets officers who failed to take part in the 2021 verification exercise. The circular warns that anyone who fails to show up this time will be presumed to have entered the service fraudulently and will be immediately removed.
The re-verification exercise will run from August 18 to 28, 2025, across multiple ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Defence, Education, Justice, Works, Finance, Interior, and the State House. Affected workers are required to present original and photocopies of key documents such as appointment letters, promotion letters, gazette confirmations, and their July 2025 IPPIS payslips.
The move follows revelations by whistleblower Martins Oghenerhoro Richard Atijegbe, a staff member of the Ministry of Works, who alleged that top officials in his ministry sold federal jobs to desperate Nigerians for up to ₦2.5 million each. According to his petition to the National Assembly, some appointees were issued forged letters and enrolled into the federal payroll system within weeks, bypassing recruitment protocols.
Martins accused directors in the ministry of masterminding the scheme and said his exposure of the scandal has made him a target for victimisation. His lawyer has filed petitions accusing the ministry of fraud, abuse of power, and conspiracy.
The Ministry of Works has dismissed the allegations as “incredibly fictitious,” but the Federal Civil Service Commission says the new verification is necessary to restore integrity to the public service and eliminate ghost workers.
The outcome of the exercise is expected to have far-reaching implications, potentially purging hundreds of fraudulent appointees from the system and saving the government billions in illicit salary payments.
