Nigerians seeking employment in the Federal Civil Service have been left exasperated as the government’s recruitment portal remains largely inaccessible, days after the application process officially commenced.
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) had, on January 27, 2025, announced recruitment into over 70 positions across various ministries, departments, and agencies. However, instead of a smooth application process, many eager job seekers have been met with endless frustration due to persistent technical malfunctions on the portal.
A week-long investigation by our correspondent revealed that the site has remained largely unreachable, initially displaying an error message: “This site can’t be reached. Err_connection_refused,” before later showing “502 Bad Gateway.” The glitches have fueled outrage among applicants, many of whom have taken to social media to vent their frustrations.
Applicants Speak Out: A Tale of Frustration
Oyin Agboola, a hopeful applicant, lamented that all her efforts to submit her application had failed since the job announcement.
“Every time I try to submit my application, the portal logs me out automatically. It’s beyond frustrating,” she said.
Another frustrated X user, @paradoxxyl, wrote: “It’s been days, and I still can’t access the site. How does the government expect us to apply?”
Similarly, @A3kutashi90 called for urgent intervention, posting:
“This is to inform the general public that the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) recruitment portal has been inaccessible since applications opened. No improvement has been made. Please ask the management to look into it.”
Meanwhile, @hamzzino expressed disbelief over the inefficiency, stating:
“Has anyone successfully applied? Whoever is handling this website is terrible at their job. I’ve been up at 1 a.m. trying to submit a simple application, and it’s still crap.”
Beyond technical difficulties, some applicants suspect foul play. Shektira Dauda alleged that the glitches were deliberate, claiming that the government might be restricting applications to limit competition.
“Registering was a tug of war, and submitting is another battle. For days now, I’ve stayed up all night, yet no progress. This is deliberate—to cut down the number of people who can apply,” she alleged.
When contacted for clarification, FCSC spokesperson, Hassan Taiwo, acknowledged that some applicants had experienced difficulties, but insisted that others had successfully registered.
“There are some people who have been able to register. Many are visiting the website, including those outside the country. People should keep trying and not give up. The issue has been escalated to the ICT department,” Taiwo said.
However, when pressed on whether the application deadline would be extended due to the technical issues, he declined to comment further.
With thousands of applicants unable to submit their applications, concerns over transparency and fairness in the recruitment process have intensified. Many are calling on the government to urgently address the portal failures and ensure that all qualified Nigerians get a fair shot at employment.
As frustration grows, the FCSC faces mounting pressure to fix the website, extend the deadline, and provide clarity on the recruitment process—before hopes turn into full-blown outrage.
PIONEER NEWS 