Nigeria's Federal Health Ministry Not Hiring - Ignore Online Posts Claiming Otherwise

14 June 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Motunrayo Joel

Nigeria's federal health ministry not hiring - ignore online posts claiming otherwise

IN SHORT: Many Nigerians would jump at the chance to join the health ministry's workforce. But don't be fooled: the ministry says it's not recruiting.

Posts on Facebook claim that Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health is hiring.

One such post reads: "There are current openings for Nigerians interested here. Apply if you are eligible and interested. 09135749180."

The post has also been republished here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

The ministry has several departments and agencies that specialise in different aspects of healthcare. Securing a job with it is highly competitive, and many Nigerians would jump at the chance to be part of its workforce.

Another version of the ad doesn't include a mobile phone number. Instead, it provides a link to a website where users can supposedly apply.

But is the ministry recruiting? We checked.

Red flags

There are several signs that you should be careful.

We called the mobile phone number in the post and the man asked us to contact him on WhatsApp. He called us back twice after we failed to do so.

We checked the official website of the health ministry to see if we could find the phone number included in the post, but we couldn't find it.

Jobs advertised by government agencies will usually direct you to their official website. They will not give you a mobile phone number to call.

The number most likely belongs to someone who is trying to scam people.

The link in the other version of the ad does not take you to the ministry's official website, but to another website with no information at all about the supposed recruitment. This is another red flag and it could be clickbait, as government agencies usually run recruitment drives on their websites or dedicated platforms.

On 27 April 2024 the health ministry said it was not recruiting.

"The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to inform the general public that the Ministry is not currently recruiting general staff for hospitals," it posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry placed an advertisement in the Daily Trust and Punch Newspapers of 18th April 2024, for the recruitment of Chief Medical Directors and Directors of Administration in some of the Federal Tertiary Hospitals only."

Recruitment is the responsibility of the Federal Civil Service Commission, the ministry said.

The warning is also posted on the ministry's website.

The claim was also posted here, here and here on Facebook.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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