Paramilitary Recruitment: Applicants Fume Over ₦7,500 Drug Test Fee Despite FG’s Free Screening Promise
Applicants participating in the ongoing federal paramilitary recruitment exercise have protested a reported ₦7,500 drug screening fee, accusing authorities of contradicting an earlier government assurance that the mandatory test would be free.
The controversy follows a categorical assurance by the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), Major General Abdulmalik Jibril (retd.), that the Federal Government would bear the full cost of the screening conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Jibril had told applicants that they would not be required to pay any money, warning that anyone asked to make payment should report the matter to the nearest security agency.
However, applicants now claim they have been directed to pay ₦7,500 through the NDLEA's drug and visa screening portal before completing the mandatory screening.
One of the affected applicants, Abdallah Muhammad from Kano State, expressed disappointment, questioning why candidates should be made to pay for a service the government had promised to provide free of charge.
Muhammad appealed to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to intervene, noting that the reported fee could place an additional financial burden on thousands of candidates.
He estimated that collecting ₦7,500 from the 30,000 candidates expected in the first recruitment batch could generate as much as ₦225 million.
The recruitment exercise covers four paramilitary agencies: the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and Federal Fire Service.
The CDCFIB had made NDLEA drug clearance mandatory for successful candidates who reached the oral interview stage, stating that the screening must be completed before appointment letters are issued.
The first batch is expected to accommodate 30,000 personnel under the Federal Government's broader plan to recruit 120,000 personnel into the paramilitary services.
As of the time of filing this report, the CDCFIB and NDLEA were yet to clarify the reported charges or explain the apparent contradiction between the payment demand and the board's earlier assurance.
Applicants are urging the Minister of Interior to urgently intervene and ensure that candidates are not made to pay for a screening exercise the government had expressly declared free.
