Nigeria, Nov. 16 -- The Sokoto State Government has initiated an ICT-based recruitment examination for thousands of applicants seeking placement in the state's civil service, in what officials describe as a deliberate shift away from influence-driven hiring to a merit-based system.

The exercise, which kicked off this week across 10 designated centres, is being coordinated by a state-appointed committee chaired by a former permanent secretary and ex-chairman of the Sokoto State Scholarship Board, Jelani Kalgo.

Speaking during an inspection of the examination centres, Mr Kalgo said the state government introduced the computer-based test (CBT) to ensure that only qualified and ICT-literate candidates proceed to the next stage of the recrui...