Leadnaija
The Senate on Wednesday promised to expose violators of the federal character system of recruiting into ministries, departments and agencies.
Allwell Onyesoh (PDP- Rivers) said this at an investigative hearing on the violation of the federal character system on recruitment across the various MDAs.
Mr Onyesoh urged the MDAs not to hide any documents needed for the investigation.
“As enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Federal Character Principle is fundamental to our national cohesion. It mandates that governance must reflect the diversity of our federation to prevent domination by any one group or region.
“Sadly, systemic abuse and ineffective enforcement have made this principle more honoured in the breach than in observance,” the senator said.
Mr Onyesoh said that persistent and non-compliance by many MDAs on recruitment and infrastructure allocation had fueled marginalisation and deepened discontent.
“The Federal Character Commission, despite its legal powers, has tried with enforcement. This development calls for urgent reforms, possibly including a Federal Character Compliance Tribunal to ensure that violations are meaningfully addressed.
“This committee will pursue the federal character mandate through rigorous investigative hearings, interactive sessions, and, where necessary, on-the-spot assessments,” the senator explained.
The senator stressed that the approach was not punitive, but corrective.
He said President Bola Tinubu supported the planned investigation, warning that “those aiming to hide behind or under the presidency would be disappointed as time to account for their misdeeds has come”.
In his remarks, the vice-chairman of the committee, Simon Lalong (APC -Plateau), said the committee was all out to stop the violation in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
According to him, the first agencies that will face the committee for the investigation starting Monday are the Federal Character Commission, Federal Civil Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Pension Commission, and Independent National Electoral Commission, among others.
