By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- THE Senate has begun probe into systemic abuse of Federal Character principle in Recruitment, Promotion, Political interference in all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and the even infrastructural development across the country and to determine their level of compliance with Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The Senate specifically took a swipe at several federal institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), among others, for allegedly failing to adhere to federal character mandates in their recruitment processes.
Lawmakers also noted that despite constitutional provisions mandating fair representation across ethnic, linguistic, religious, and geographic lines, imbalances continue to exist.
The Senate has mandated its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs chaired by Senator Allwell Heacho Onyesoh, PDP, Rivers East to also carry out a holistic investigation into persistent challenges in achieving equity within Nigeria’s public service, including limited recruitment opportunities, skewed promotions based on years of service rather than merit, and a lack of mobility for workers outside the public sector.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio to report in plenary in three months with findings and recommendations to ensure fair and equitable representation in federal appointments, promotions, recruitment and infrastructural distribution across the over 900 MDAs.
Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion titled, “Urgent Need to address systemic abuse and ineffective implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Ngwu Osita, PDP, Enugu West.
In his presentation, Senator Osita said that the “Senate Notes the persistent challenges in achieving balance and equity within Nigeria’s public service due to limited recruitment opportunities, skewed promotions based solely on years of service, and insufficient avenues for worker mobility outside the public sector;
“Also notes that the Federal Character Principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation;
“Aware that Section 14(3) & (4) of the Constitution, which unequivocally stipulate that “no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or sectional groups” should exist within the federal government or its agencies;
“Also aware that despite a focus on geographical quotas, imbalances persist between institutions, often relocating problems rather than resolving them, while certain regions remain underrepresented.”
According to him, the Senate “observes with concern that the process of addressing public sector disparities has been undermined by institutional inertia and a lack of accountability, particularly as recruitment at senior levels is influenced more by internal preferences than by merit and fairness
“Also observes that the quota system has, in many cases, created confusion between merit-based recruitment and equitable state representation, to the detriment of discipline, morale and institutional efficiency;
“Highlights the constitutional criteria for equitable distribution of employment which requires that each state contributes its proportionate quota of 2.75% of the national workforce; and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to account for 1.00% of the workforce; while catchment areas are to address localized recruitment for junior staff up to 75% of positions;
“Regrets that against the spirit of Order 96(27)(b) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) and Sections 62, 88, 89, 14(3)-(4) and the Third Schedule Part I C8(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which bestowed on its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs the power of legislative oversight in matters connected to the implementation and monitoring of the policy, it is deemed that various federal institutions including NNPCL and its subsidiaries, NUPRC, NAFDAC, NPA, PENCOM, NDIC, FUTA, NLN, SMEDAN, ECN, SMDF, NNRA have consistently failed to adhere to federal character mandates, often bypassing regulations in their recruitment exercise (evidences abound);
“Also regrets that the contempt emanating from the foregoing, if unchecked, will continually erode the efficacy of Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of the Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997 and Sections 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011; and
“Concerned that the Federal Character Commission (FCC), whilst constitutionally empowered, remains hindered by chronic underfunding, political interference and limited enforcement capabilities.”
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