Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Calabar, Cross River State — Governor Bassey Edet Otu has suspended the recruitment exercise into the state’s Local Government Service Commission following widespread allegations of fraud, racketeering and irregularities, marking a dramatic development in public sector employment in the South-South state. The move, announced on Thursday, November 13, 2025, reflects growing public concern about fairness, transparency and corruption in government hiring practices.
The governor’s order came after investigations and reports surfaced that the ongoing recruitment process, aimed at staffing councils across the state, was marred by allegations of corruption, gross abuse of office and employment racketeering by some officials within the Local Government Service Commission. These accusations triggered public outrage and prompted swift action from the state’s executive arm.
In a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Linus Obogo, Governor Otu said he had directed the immediate suspension of the recruitment exercise while a detailed review is conducted. He also accepted the resignation of Mr. Darlington Eyo, the chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, whose leadership was embroiled in the controversy.
According to the governor’s office, a special review committee will be constituted to investigate the recruitment scandal, identify those responsible, and recommend disciplinary and corrective measures in line with the administration’s stance that no form of corruption will be tolerated. Otu emphasised that future recruitment will be transparent, merit-based and fair to restore public trust in government institutions.
The controversy has deeper roots. Earlier in 2025, the Local Government Service Commission reported that about 4,000 staff had been recruited into the 18 council areas of the state as part of efforts to rebuild depleted workforce levels. Supporters of the recruitment argued it was necessary to fill critical vacancies that had persisted for decades.
However, alongside those official figures, allegations emerged alleging that employment slots were being monetised and that individuals with questionable qualifications were being advanced, leading critics and civil society voices to characterise the process as fraudulent and compromised. Reports of forged employment letters and fake appointment schemes being circulated and investigated by law enforcement added to concerns about the integrity of the process.
The state government had previously taken related anticorruption actions, including dissolving the entire Board of the Local Government Service Commission in response to findings of employment racketeering and abuse of office linked to earlier recruitment activities. In that decision, Governor Otu described the conduct as a betrayal of public trust and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to accountability.
Public reaction to the suspension has been mixed. Supporters of the governor’s decision see it as an important step toward sanitising public service hiring practices and addressing long-standing allegations of maladministration at the local government level. They argue that ensuring a merit-driven process will strengthen confidence in government and improve service delivery at the grassroots.
Conversely, some critics have raised concerns about the disruption caused by the suspension, particularly for thousands of job seekers who had invested time and resources in the recruitment process. There are concerns that delaying employment opportunities could affect critical services and livelihood prospects for families who were counting on potential job placements.
Legal challenges are now also emerging. Recently, lawyers representing dozens of local government staff employed in 2025 have petitioned the governor’s office, urging restraint in plans to sack personnel hired under the contested recruitment. The legal correspondence argues that the law presumes the regularity of official acts such as employment and warns against arbitrary dismissal without due legal process.
The unfolding situation highlights broader concerns about employment governance, oversight and accountability in Nigeria’s sub-national public sector. Local government recruitment exercises across various states have often faced scrutiny for alleged nepotism and corrupt practices, and the Cross River case has drawn national attention for its scale and the response from state leadership.
Governor Otu, a seasoned politician and member of the All Progressives Congress who took office in May 2023, has framed the handling of this crisis within his broader People-First governance philosophy, which emphasises transparency, integrity and accountability in public administration. He has repeatedly stated that his administration will not condone corruption in any form and will prioritise merit and competence in public service recruitment.
As the review committee begins its work and the government plans a fresh, restructured recruitment process, all eyes will be on the outcomes of the investigation and whether the decisions taken will satisfy public demand for fairness and transparency. The effectiveness of these measures could set precedents for how employment integrity issues are handled in other states across Nigeria.
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