By Daniel Otera
A viral claim circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp alleges that the Kogi State Government has concluded plans to recruit 20,000 workers across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) starting from June 2025. The post, framed as breaking news, credited Governor Usman Ododo with the decision and has sparked excitement among job seekers and unemployed youths in the state. Grassroots Check subjected the claim to verification and sought answers to determine its authenticity.
The message, which has been widely reshared by social media pages with ties to Kogi State, describes the purported recruitment as a major development effort to address youth unemployment. While several users hailed the governor’s alleged plan as a progressive step, the origins and legitimacy of the information raised questions particularly as no official government source was directly cited.
To verify the claim, Grassroots Check searched through official government communication platforms, including the Kogi State Government’s verified Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as the state’s official website. No mention of the recruitment exercise was found. There was also no advert, call for application, or announcement of any kind from MDAs. In addition, Grassroots Check reviewed editions of The Graphic Newspaper and monitored the Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation for any televised or published confirmation. Again, no evidence emerged to support the claim.
What Grassroots Check did find, however, was a categorical rebuttal from the Kogi State Government. In a statement released on 7 May 2025, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, described the claim as “false, unfounded, and deliberately misleading.” The statement stressed that the government had not announced any such plan and was not considering mass recruitment at the time. Fanwo noted that the administration was instead focusing on streamlining public service operations, improving productivity, and enhancing the welfare of existing civil servants.
Grassroots Check also examined the economic feasibility of recruiting 20,000 new workers. A review of the 2025 Approved Budget of Kogi State, as signed by Governor Usman Ododo in February, revealed that ₦279.6 billion representing nearly 48 percent of the ₦582.4 billion total budget was allocated to recurrent expenditure. This covers salaries, overheads, and other administrative costs.
Introducing 20,000 new workers into the state’s payroll under these conditions would present a significant fiscal burden unless a supplementary budget or funding shift is announced. As at the time of this fact-check, no such adjustment had been made public
Beyond the budgetary implications, the government’s statement made it clear that given “current economic realities” and the need for prudent spending, the idea of a large-scale employment drive was not practical. The government urged the public to disregard the rumour and warned job seekers to be wary of fraudsters exploiting the situation for personal gain.
This is not the first time false recruitment claims have emerged from Kogi State. Grassroots Check recalled similar hoaxes in previous years, particularly during election cycles and periods of economic uncertainty, when job seekers are most vulnerable to misinformation. In November 2022, the Kogi State Civil Service Commission had to issue an official disclaimer after fake job offers were circulated on social media.
The Commission warned that fraudsters were extorting unsuspecting applicants through bogus “processing fees,” insisting that no such recruitment exercise had been authorised by the government.
Again, in January 2025, the state’s Ministry of Health released a public alert debunking claims that the Hospitals Management Board was hiring. The ministry described the information as false and urged residents to avoid falling victim to organised scams that exploit desperation.
The government, in its response, encouraged citizens to rely on verified communication channels such as the Kogi State Government’s official website, social media handles, and the state-owned broadcasting corporation.
According to the statement, any genuine recruitment, when decided upon, would be announced through these recognised channels.
Grassroots Check found no evidence official, documentary, or budgetary to support the claim that the Kogi State Government will be recruiting 20,000 workers in June 2025. The government has explicitly denied it, and the available data does not point to any ongoing or planned employment drive of that magnitude.
VERDICT: FALSE
Grassroots Check finds that the claim is false.
