By Peter Oriri
As part of efforts to address irregularities in the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and (MDAs) of government, the Senate on Wednesday has embark on measures to regulate job racketeering in the Country.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, made this known after an interactive session with the management of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).
The Committee members expressed concern over recurrent job racketeering within government agencies, often conducted without public notice and in total disregard of federal character principles in job recruitment. These irregularities constitute violations of the Constitution of Nigeria.
Addressing journalists after the session, Senator Onyesoh criticized the NASC leadership for disproportionately allocating employment to certain zones, which does not reflect the Federal Character Principle.
The Senate demanded that the NASC provide additional documentation down to the state and local government levels across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to explain why the North Central region has 1,224 workers out of a total nominal roll of 3,721.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Engr. Ahmed Amshi, stated that he was not involved in the last recruitment process, which took place in 2018, prior to his assumption of office in 2020.
The Senate warned that any government agency failing to comply with the Federal Character Principle, a constitutional mandate, would face severe sanctions.
Senator Onyesoh also criticized the concentration of essential infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, bridges, and roads, in one region. He emphasized that the Federal Character Commission aims to create unity, fairness, and equity, adding, “You can’t have that if someone is feeling rejected, feeling not carried along.”