The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating job racketeering in federal agencies yesterday frowned at what it called gross violation of the provisions of the laws governing employment in the country.
The committee also demanded an explanation from the management of the Nigeria Institute for Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis Research (NITR) on why it refused to abide by the approval granted it by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF) and the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
The committee was particularly not happy with the Nigeria Council for Good Science and Technology for not respecting the constitutional provision on federal character, employing its foundation workers from only two geopolitical zones of the country.
The council’s Registrar, Veronica Ekeh, had told the committee that the council, which was established in Year 2020, employed 65 staff members for its take-off.
But a member of the committee, Wole Oke, noted that the employment of the 65 workers did not consider the provisions of federal character, as contained in the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
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Oke said: “This agency recruited its staff without obeying the provision of Federal Character, which is a constitutional requirement, and the Federal Character Commission gave them certificate of compliance.
“On what basis was the certificate issued when they failed to comply with the provisions of the Constitution? We have to take this matter seriously.
“This recruitment should not be validated because it violates extant laws. You cannot be employing people to start a new agency that will be funded by tax payers’ money when the Nigerian community is not represented.”
Committee Chairman Yusuf Adamu Gagdi also queried the issuance of the certificate of compliance to the agency when it failed to comply with the provisions of the law.
Demanding an explanation from the management of NITR, the House committee wondered why the agency requested for approval and waiver from the HoCSF and the FCC when it would not abide by the approval.
Letters submitted by the agency showed that while they requested for, and got approval from the Head of Service to employ 80 workers, they wrote to the FCC and got approval to employ 90 staff.
But records of employment the agency gave the committee indicated that it eventually employed 86 workers.
Gagdi said: “There was no reason to approach the Head of Service in the first place when you cannot respect and adhere to their approval.”
Also, the committee chairman has said he did not indict the Register of the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyode, or any agency.
Speaking at resumed hearing of the committee yesterday, Gagdi said the committee had been having a robust engagement with all agencies appearing before it.
The chairman said until the committee concludes its assignment and submits a report to the House, it would be wrong to say it has indicted any agency for any wrongdoing.