CACOL DEMANDS THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO FEDERAL CHARACTER COMMISSION JOB RACKETEERING AND PUNISHMENT OF OFFICIALS WHO COMMITTED CRIME

The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has requested that anti-corruption agencies investigate allegations of job racketeering involving some members of the Federal Character Commission’s (FCC) management and staff.

Mr. Debo Adeniran, Chairman of CACOL, was quoted in a press release issued by the organisation. The release was signed by Tola Oresanwo, Director, Administration and Programmes. Mr. Adeniran said, “It would be recalled that while testifying at the ongoing investigative hearing by the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Parastatals, and Tertiary institutions on mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll

In his deposition, former Federal Character Commission employee Haruna Kolo, who worked as a desk officer for the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, claimed that Ms. Dankaka ran a job racketeering ring that took money from people looking for work. According to him, the FCC boss told him to pay Kolo in cash at her house a few times and then transfer the money to his personal Ecobank account so that no digital footprints would be left.

When asked about the allegations of job racketeering, Kolo claimed that the FCC Chairman directed him to communicate with Mr. Shehu, the commissioner of Taraba State’s personal driver and assistant. Shehu, he said, was the one who delivered the job applicants who had sent payments to his (Kolo’s) personal Ecobank account and then given the cash equivalent to the Chairman at a point of sale (POS), so there is no record of the funds having been transferred. Mr. Kolo added that the chairperson rewarded him and three others with employment at the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) in exchange for their work. He further asserted that a brother or sister of Mrs. Dankaka’s was among the AMCON job’s fortunate recipients.

While we agree that Mr. kolo’s testimony is extremely illuminating, we are not shocked by his accusations or admissions. The reason for this is that in one of our previous releases, we claimed that job racketeering has become the norm across all government ministries and parastatals. Employment in any of these Ministries on the basis of merit or even Federal Character, which has been used to employ job seekers at the federal level, is about as likely as a camel fitting through the eye of a needle. It has become common practise to charge exorbitant fees for even the most basic of government services, further impoverishing the children of the poor whose parents have spent so much on their education but who are unable to pay the exorbitant fees demanded by the racketeering syndicates that have set up shop in every branch of government.

It’s worth noting that the Constitution establishes the Federal Character Commission and gives it the authority to make sure the government’s make-up reflects the country’s federal character. The government agencies all go through the commission to find employees.

Section 14(3) states, “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies.”

Federal Character Commission (FCC) Act Section 4 states that the commission has the authority to “work out an equitable formula, subject to the approval of the President, for the distribution of all cadres of posts in the civil and the public services of the Federation and of the States, the armed forces, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, bodies corporate owned by the Federal or a State Government and Extra-Ministerial Departments and parastatals of the Fede” (Federal or State Government).

The original intent of those who conceived the idea of forming the Federal Character Commission (FCC) has been abused, misused, and denigrated over the years, as evidenced by the fact that the FCC has been involved in a number of corruption allegations. The once-laudable goal of promoting cohesion in the allocation of all cadres of posts in the civil and public services of the Federation has become so heavily commercialised that the top positions in these MDAs are now available to the highest bidders. This is the federal government’s official Bazzar!!!

The anti-corruption chief continued, “We would have called for total scrapping of the Commission but considering the strategic and critical role of Federal Character Commission (FCC) operations in the country, we are seriously concerned about the enormity of corruption going on in the administration and operations of the Commission, therefore, we would like to commend the House of Representatives for carrying out this investigative hearing, and we would also call on the federal government to take immediate action to address this serious problem.” We urge the Chair of the Commission to be suspended immediately and that all those responsible for these heinous misdeeds be held accountable. Anti-graft agencies should not rest on their laurels; instead, they should move swiftly to bring to justice everyone who has been implicated by this revelation. We also believe that the House ad hoc Committee should focus its scrutiny on all other government MDAs and not let the allegations go unchecked.