The recent recruitment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is lopsided in favour of some states and has not reflected the Federal Character principle, an analysis of the recruitment document obtained by Daily Trust has revealed.The list of those recruited is due to be released early next month. Insiders allege that the process has ignored qualified candidates from many states, particularly from the northern part of the country.The list, for instance, shows that out of the total 132 senior officers employed, there were no candidates from Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto. But Bayelsa, the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan and Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke, got 11 slots making it the highest.Also, Kogi State, where the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Corporation Engineer Austen Oniwon comes from got nine while Rivers and Imo states followed with eight candidates each.The North East's states of Borno, Taraba, Niger got one slot each while in North Central, Nasarawa, Plateau states and FCT got one slot each.Insiders told Daily Trust that the lopsidedness did not only stop at the recruitment list but also postings to some of the core technical areas in the industry. The source said most of the northern staff recruited are to fill non-technical positions.When Daily Trust wrote NNPC demanding to know the recruitment procedure, the number of applicants from each state, points scored by each candidate at the test and interview levels, benchmark points set by the corporation, number of candidates that qualified with their states of origin and number of candidates employed by the corporation and their states or origin in line with Freedom of Information Act (FOI), the corporation said the provision of the Act does not bind statutory corporations like NNPC.In a letter dated 17th July, 2012 with number CSLD.1099, signed by the NNPC's Secretary and Legal Adviser, Anthony C. Madichie, the corporation said that: 'We are not bound by the provision of the Act.'The letter also reads: 'Please be informed that the Freedom of Information Act applies to Public Institution as defined under the Act. In this regards, section 31 of the Act defines Public Institution as follows: '... any legislative, executive judicial, administrative or advisory body of the government, including boards, bureau, committees or commissions of the state, and any subsidiary body of those bodies including but not limited to committees and sub-committees which are supported in whose or in part by public fund or which expends public fund and private bodies providing public services, performing public functions or utilizing public funds'.When contacted about the reruitment, Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, NNPC Mr. Fidel Pepple said he is not aware of the recruitment list. 'I don't have information about that one,' Pepple said.Spokesman for the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Mr. Chuks Okoli told Daily Trust last night that recruitment and placement into government organisations are based on proportion of existing staff.He said: 'If they have up to a hundred and something people recruited, the guideline is that every state must get, but those who are over represented will get less; those who are underrepresented will get more. That is our guideline and anything outside that is a breach of our guideline.''Going by our guideline, provided that they are taking a hundred plus people, each state must get but not that they will get equally. It is expected that those who have more in the NNPC will get less and those that are underrepresented will get more.'He said however that the commission will swing into action if any breach of guideline is observed.The recent recruitment at the NNPC was subject of several controversies. The corporation, in conjunction with a recruitment firm, Phillips Consulting Limited, invited thousands of qualified candidates to an aptitude test which was held on Saturday, March 23, 2011 at various centres across the country.The interview was conducted in August 2011 but the result was kept in secret due to alleged political interference by highly influential figures.The list obtained by Daily Trust did not give details about the recruitment of graduate trainees and operators but the corporation said it had recruited 348 Graduate Trainees and 116 Operators, raising the total recruitment 596.The complete list is as follows: Abia 5, Adamawa 4, Akwa Ibom 4, Anambra 4, Bauchi 3, Bayelsa 11, Benue 4, Borno 1, C/River 3, Delta 4, Ebonyi 3, Edo 3, Ekiti 5, Enugu 1, Gombe 4, Imo 8, Jigawa 3, Kaduna 0, Kano 0, Katsina 2, Kebbi 1, Kogi 9, Kwara 3, Lagos 5, Nasarawa 1, Niger 1, Ogun 7, Ondo 4, Osun 4, Oyo 6, Plateau 1, Rivers 8, Sokoto 0, Taraba 1, Yobe 4, Zamfara 4, FCT 1, Total Experience 132. Total employed, 596.
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