By Jonathan Lois, Abuja
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating employment racketeering by Ministries Departments and Agencies and Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Tuesday interrogated the Managing Director Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) over lopsided employment carried out in 2015 with no regards to the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
The House probe panel had demanded that the two agencies to immediately submit to it the list of all staff employed between 2015- 2023 and decried the lack of adherence to extant regulations of the nation’s public service on this matter.
In his reaction, the Chairman of FRC, Victor Muruako, said he was a director when the last recruitment was carried out by the agency.
Responding to question by a member of the panel on whether he will justify his agency if lawmakers should recommend appropriate sanction, FRC boss urged for understanding promising to address all irregularities pertaining to recruitment in subsequent recruitment.
Lawmakers equally frowned at stagnant fund observed in the document presented by the agency to the panel which prompted question by lawmakers on how the agency handle the fund accrued to them by staff who left the establishment to other agencies and those that died.
The lawmaker and other committee members noted that the agency got waivers for the recruitment of staff yet it failed to adhere to the provisions of federal character commission which stipulate, fairness and equity across then country during recruitment
In another development, the Director General, Nigeria Hydrological services Agency (NHSA), Clement Nze was also queried by Lawmakers who insisted that from available records presented by the agency, most of the recruited staff are from a particular region and state, querying that the establishment has no consideration to federal character principles.
According to the committee Chairman, Abia, Kogi among other states were leading while FCT, Nasarawa, River, Cross-River and so on have been marginalized.
In his presentation, the executive director FCT Water Sanitation directorate, Mohammed Ali Alhassan told the lawmakers that everything respecting employment and replacement are carried out by the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Administration, FCDA.
The Director General Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, NBRRI, Samson Nnam informed the lawmakers that his Institute recruited two times in 2015 and 2018.
Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Gagdi directed the agency to provide his committee with a comprehensive nominal role as well as waivers, and approval granted by agencies concern.
