Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government has said that there were no 16,200 employment vacancies in 26 Nigerian embassies and missions abroad as Nigerians are being made to believe.
This was even as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its emergency telephone numbers for Nigerians around the world for easy contact. The numbers are: 08023099864; 08112853135; 09060888894 and 09021000900.
Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tope Ade Elias-Fatile, while briefing journalists, in Abuja, on the ministry’s activities, said an advertorial, purportedly from the ministry, had been in circulation, alleging that there were 26,200 vacancies in Nigeria’s embassies and missions abroad.
The United States of America, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, Elias-Fatile said, were amongst countries listed in the advertorial.
“The attention of the ministry has been drawn to the fictitious news which had been all over the place that there are 16,200 vacancies in Nigeria embassies in 26 countries around the world which include Canada, USA, Australia and London.
“This is false. The Federal Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or whatever agency it is, has not placed such advert for employment in any of the Nigerian missions outside the country,” Elias-Fatile said.
Elias-Fatile further said that the rules of employment into the Foreign Service were clear and were within the country.
He added that such advertorial would ordinarily be placed by the Federal Civil Service Commission regarding levels eight and above.
Elias-Fatile also said if it was an internal employment regarding levels one to six or sometimes, level seven, the advertorial would emanate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He stated that the ministry did not issue any advertorial and more so that it had to do with foreign embassies, saying that such staff are usually called ‘local staff’.
Elias-Fatile said at the moment, there is presently no employment of local staff in any of the embassies of Nigeria abroad.
