Frustration has peaked among thousands of job seekers applying for recruitment into Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies as technical hitches continue to cripple the application portal, with many resorting to sleeping in cyber cafés in a desperate bid to complete their online submissions.
LEADERSHIP Weekend findings indicated that the ongoing online recruitment exercise by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) is being overwhelmed due to the massive volume of documents required from applicants, including primary school leaving certificates, WAEC results, university degrees, postgraduate qualifications and even awards and other supporting materials listed on their curriculum vitae.
According to a reliable source from the ICT company contracted to manage the process ( names withheld) the portal is unable to cope with the size and volume of the uploads, resulting in frequent crashes and failed submissions.
LEADERSHIP Weekend findings indicated that the ongoing online recruitment exercise by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) is being overwhelmed due to the massive volume of documents required from applicants, including primary school leaving certificates, WAEC results, university degrees, postgraduate qualifications and even awards and other supporting materials listed on their curriculum vitae.
According to a reliable source from the ICT company contracted to manage the process ( names withheld) the portal is unable to cope with the size and volume of the uploads, resulting in frequent crashes and failed submissions.
The source, who preferred not to be named said, “The system is not built to handle such heavy traffic and bulk document uploads simultaneously. Asking every applicant to upload everything at once from FSLC to postgraduate certificates is what’s choking the platform.”
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that the situation has forced many young Nigerians to besiege cyber cafés daily, with some even spending the night at the centers to avoid missing the opportunity.
In some cases, applicants are reportedly leaving their original documents with café operators, a highly risky and unusual practice, simply because of unstable internet service or limited access to computers as well as the slow upload process.
Recall that the CDCFIB had in a statement on Thursday, announed the temporary suspension of the portal which is now billed to reopen on Monday, July 21, once the upgrades are completed.
An applicant in Abuja who gave his name as Ekpedeme Nsuk, said, “This is not the norm. People are desperate. We sleep at business centers hoping to be among the lucky few who can upload before the system crashes again.”
Another applicant, Mary Pang, a resident of Nyanya, said, “The portal keeps timing out. Sometimes, you’re almost done and it just goes blank. We’ve spent thousands of naira and still can’t submit. It’s frustrating.”
However, there’s a glimmer of hope. The same top-level source disclosed that the Minister of Interior who doubles as the board chairman, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo- and other members of the board have agreed to scrap the document upload requirement at this stage, following appeals from stakeholders and complaints from the public.
The source said, “Instead, applicants will now be required to present their credentials physically during the documentation or screening stage, thereby easing the pressure on the portal and allowing for smoother processing of applications.”
Recall that the recruitment exercise was initially scheduled to begin on July 2, but was later postponed twice due to these challenges. The new date is now set for July 21, 2025, pending the final update to the application portal.
The CDCFIB is tasked with overseeing recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, Civil Defence Corps, Federal Fire Service, and Nigerian Correctional Service , agencies that remain among the most sought-after by young Nigerians battling unemployment.
As of now, while many applicants remain in limbo, waiting for the portal to stabilise and for clear instructions on the new upload-free process , business center owners in the Nyanya and other axis in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have confirmed that they now operate 24 hours a day due to the relentless demand from job seekers trying to complete their paramilitary recruitment applications.
A cyber cafer operator who lamented that their financial gains were being halted said, “You need to see the desperation on their faces. When we try to close, they plead with us to stay open. And when you see a young man, your age or older, shedding tears because of this opportunity, it breaks your heart. Yes, we need the money, but our biggest sacrifice is helping them pursue their long-held dreams.”
