Ogun State charges applicants N2,500 for manual and menial jobs at Sagamu teaching hospital

OGUN State government has asked all applicants for manual and menial jobs at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital(OOUTH) in Sagamu to pay a sum of N2,500 with their online applications if they want to be considered for interviews.

 

Upon assuming office in May, Governor Dapo Abiodun said that reviving the delivery of primary healthcare in the state will be one of his main priorities. Very shortly after he was sworn-in, Governor Abiodun toured the health facilities in the state and is now following this up with the recruitment of staff into the Sagamu hospital.

 

Over the last week, the hospital authorities have advertised for applicants to fill the positions of messenger, mortuary attendant, cook and health attendant at the Sagamu hospital. All applications must be accompanied by a payment of N2,500, while those applying for higher posts must pay the sum of N5,000 when they submit their application forms.

 

“Make payment, submit and save generated receipt of submission. Your application is not complete if you do not make payment," the website located at https://jobs.ogunstate.gov.ng/job reads.

 

Apparently, the link where the form is to be completed also demands N500 as processing fee but the demand for N2,500 and N5,000 for junior and senior cadres respectively has been generating reactions from youths across Ogun State. Many have taken to the social media to condemn the development, saying the government is being insensitive to the plight of the many jobless youths in the state.

 

One civil servant said: “How will government charge jobless youths seeking jobs. It is even ridiculous that government is charging for posts of mortuary attendant, messenger, cook and so on. Where do you expect them to get that money from?”

 

Quadri Olatunji, a Mass Communication graduate, added: “This is daylight robbery. This act is criminal to say the least and if the state government has any iota of integrity left, the payment should be halted immediately and money collected should be returned."

 

Azeez Adeyemi, the publicity secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Students, said: “We must remember that yesterday in this same state, the last administration collected N12,500 from job seekers, extorting them of the little they have and in turn inflicting them with more poverty and at the end, didn’t still employ them. The N2,500 and N5,000 mentioned aren’t the doings of the government from our engagement with the government but for that same administrative purpose that the last administration extorted thousands of the poor graduates to the tune of N12,500.”

 

Kunle Somorin, the chief press secretary to the governor replied: “The job portal doesn’t charge anybody one dime. It’s free."

 

Abduljabar Ayelaagbe, the Ogun State chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, said he had begun a covert investigation into the matter. Abayomi Arabambi the Ogun State chairman of the Labour Party, added, however, that the management of OOUTH said that was their usual practice because the immediate administration of Governor Ibikunle Amosun directed them to generate internally generated revenue .

 

In September, applicants seeking employment into the same hospital were asked to pay a sum of N5,000 each for the application form, while those applying as registrars were mandated to pay additional N2,500 to obtain the residency handbook, making a total of N7,500. Recently, 29,000 applicants applied for 1,500 teaching jobs in Ogun State, although that was free.

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