FIRS Fraustrates Applicants, Refuses To Open Job Application Link

PROSPECTIVE applicants for the advertised vacant positions in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have expressed dissatisfaction towards the commission for the delay in opening job portal on Monday, 29th August, 2016 as announced.

According to the advertisement published by the FIRS for the vacant positions in the parastatal on Monday 22nd August, 2016 in the major national dailies, the web portal would be opened for applicants on Monday, 29th August, 2016 to apply online, while the online application will last for six weeks from the date the web portal is available (Monday, 10th October, 2016).

One of the applicants in Abuja, Oluwatunmise Arowolo, who spoke with ReportersAtLarge said the unavailability of the application form(s) link on the FIRS web portal signaled that Nigerian government parastatals are yet to be fully digital savvy.

“Except it is stated clearly in the advertisement that the link will be open at a particular hour of the day, it is expected that the link should be opened by 12.00am on the day it is promised to be opened.

“I’ve been online since 12.00am today, 29th August, 2016 to apply for a post of statistician, to avoid congestion on the site which is inevitable due to the spate of unemployment in the country, but till 10.27am when I left the website, the link was unavailable.

“This is not good enough, and it suggest an imminent flop in the process, which I don’t pray for,” Arowolo said.

Yet another applicant in Imo State, Chiwetalu Hannah, she the delay in the opening of the application web portal of the FIRS “is frustrating and showed that the process is not well coordinated. I’m afraid if the interview process would not be another instance of the Immigration job disaster we witnessed the other time.”

The mesaage on the link for the online application, www.firs.gov.ng/FIRS-Careers/Pages/Vacancies.aspx as at 12.17pm when ReportersAtLarge checked read: “The Federal Inland Revenue Service as part of its consolidation strategies, wishes to engage the services of early started with integrity, drive and desire to win professionally, to strengthen its workforce.

“Deadline for submission of application is six (6) weeks from the date the web portal is available (Monday, 10th October, 2016).

“Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview.”

When the portal was checked again at 12.31pm (when this report was being published), the link showed “Service Unavailable. HTRP Error 503. The service is unavailable.”