Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun has ordered that all administrative fees currently being charged in relation to the ongoing recruitment exercise into the state’s civil service be abolished and refunds made to applicants..

The governor gave the order after Omoyele Sowore, leader of the Revolution Now movement, called for a protest in Abeokuta, Ogun State over the development.

Sowore criticised Governor Abiodun on Twitter, condemning the fee as extortion, highlighting the perceived injustice of charging unemployed youths for job applications.

Abiodun on Thursday, in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi and addressed to the chairman of the Civil Service Commission, called for a refund to all who had paid the N10,000 fee.

The statement noted that the historical fees that have been in place for decades and are charged by the Civil Service Commission on behalf of third-party independent examiners who administer and supervise the CBT Test and centers.

The statement added that the state government in a gesture of good faith and acknowledgment of the current economic situation in the country, also took into consideration the ultimate aim of the recruitment exercise, which is to alleviate the suffering of the citizens and create employment in the state, and instructed the immediate refund of fees paid along with a waiver for any new applications.