In Lagos State, Nigeria’s South-West region, the state police command has raided what it describes as a questionable recruitment organisation, in the Mushin area of Lagos state.
The agency claimed to have the mandate to recruit marketers for companies, through text messages, but strangely all the recipients of the messages said that they did not apply for the jobs in the first place.
The Police, acting on a tip-off raided the premises where the said group conducts its recruitment business, and in the building job interviews and oral assessments had been planned to take place. Channels Television got to know this from a text message.
The message indicates NEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency may be recruiting, but when we asked their officials in Lagos, they told us they knew nothing about it.
Shortly after, some of the applicants arrived for the recruitment exercise, and a detachment of the Police in the area also arrived to burst their arrangement.
Two men and a lady belonging to the questionable recruitment agency were apprehended and from the interactions with the suspect, they told Channels Television that they were partners with some organisations involved in recruiting people for multilevel marketing.
So many questions were on the minds of the hapless job seekers; they said that they did not apply for any job, how come they were being invited for an oral test. Also they asked to know how the said recruitment agency got their contacts – so many questions for which they may not get any answers, at least for the time being.
Meanwhile, the suspects have been transferred from Mushin police station to the state police headquarters in Ikeja for further questioning.
It’s perhaps a moment for most Nigerians to be weary of the many job advertisements out there. Although, discerning the real ones may be difficult, care should must be taken.
With over 50% of Nigerian youths unemployed, it’s clear that that population could be very vulnerable as millions of people wake up every day not only in search of greener pasture but at least any kind of job.
What many may be used to are job announcements in the dailies and on billboards, but when you receive a text message on your mobile phone saying you are successful and shortlisted after your application, when you know you didn’t apply for any job, you should get slightly worried.
