FCC warns MDAs against lopsided staffing

The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has warned against one-sided recruitment in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) across the states of the federation.

In Abuja yesterday, the acting chairman, Hon. Abayomi Sheba, expressed the commission’s readiness to fully comply with the federal character principle enshrined in the constitution since 1979.He said that FCC would henceforth view non-compliance with the deserved seriousness, accompanied with appropriate sanctions.

FCC is a federal executive body established by Act No 34 of 1996 to enforce the federal character principle of fairness and equity in the distribution of public posts and socio-economic infrastructure among the various federating units.

In a statement issued yesterday, the FCC frowned at government agencies that skip the required inputs needed from the commission, thereby subverting the principle of federal character in their appointments.

According to Sheba, who before his elevation had headed the Petroleum Resources Committee of the FCC, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been identified as one of the agencies flouting the federal character directive.He warned that the commission would not hesitate to wield the big stick against any agency that refused to comply with the directive.

Sheba added; “The FCC had all along been treading softly in ensuring compliance; but now we are going to fully employ the provisions of the law.”He commended some agencies such as the Federal Fire Service (FFS) that had been complying.

“In the last recruitment that the FFS did, where about 1,000 applicants were absorbed, the FCC was fully carried along and all the procedures were followed, as the federal character principle was strictly adhered to in line with the constitution.“There are over 600 MDAs of government, and the FCC has the duty of scrutinising their staff list and monitoring their recruitment process to ensure compliance with our mandate, which we will not compromise,” he added.