IPPIS probe: Chairman avoiding answering questions on job racketeering, FCC Commissioners tells Reps

By Christiana Ekpa

A mild drama ensued on Tuesday, as a Commissioners with the Federal Character Commission (FCC), exposed Chairman of the Commission, Muheeda Dankaka before Ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives.

This was just as the Office of the  Accountant General of the Federation says it has no records of recruitment of personnel into Ministries, Department and Agencies of Government (MDAs).

Dankaka was expected to appear before

an Ad-hoc Committee investigating mismanagement in personnel employment, recruitment , racketeering in Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies, as well as gross mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), headed by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi Adamu.

During the engagement however, one of the Commssioners in attendance, Moses Anaughe countered his colleagues, who earlier told the panel that the Chairman was sick and had an appointment with her medical doctoyr, saying she had the penchant of lying to avoid appearing before the National Assembly.

According to Anaughe, this was her usual character of avoiding invitations by the National Assembly on job racketeering which she is guilty of, adding  that this was not the first time such was happening, as her usual habit was to send commissioners to represent her at investigative hearings.

“Now if you send somebody there, to her office, maybe before they call her or send her massage and she start running to come. As we Speak now , she is in her office as this has been her usual practice”, he said.

The Committee issued a summon against the agency’s head to appear unfailingly on Wednesday.

Another commissioner representing Taraba state, Armayau Abubakar, who represented the chairman with a written letter , stating that she was unavoidably absent due to a medical appointment with her doctor, appealed that the Commission be given a new date to come with the required documents as requested by the commission; and the Chairman of the adhoc committee, Rep.Yusif Gagdi moved that their request be granted.

But when the Commissioner from Delta came in, he stood to introduce himself and said that the Chairman Dankaka was currently in the office and not in the hospital but in the office as at 12 noon when he left the office.

“I want to stress that this is her usual excuse for various committees that invited her. It should be on record. If she wants to collect 10 percent of employment she insists that the Chief Executive must come one on one with her. Why is she not here? She must appear before the committee and giver stewardship for 3 years”, Anaughe stated.

The Committee Chairman therefore ordered that the FCC Chairman Dankaka, and the 27 commissioners appear before the Committee by 11am on Wednesday July 27, 2023, unfailingly, addin that the committee was not out to witch hunt anybody but to collect facts and report back to the House.

Earlier, Emma Deekor, Director Information, who represented the AGF disclosed  before the House of Representatives investigating job racketeering and mismanagement of IPPIS that OAGF has no records of MDAs recruitment.

Rep. Wole Oke (PDP-Osun) had earlier moved a motion asking the House to investigate Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Parastatals and Tertiary Institutions.

The investigation according to him should be on the mismanagement of personnel recruitment, employment racketeering and gross mismanagement of IPPIS.

Deekor claimed got the lawmakers angry with the mover of the motion, Oke querying the submission of the representative of AGF.

He said, “from 2019 to date no recruitment record from IPPIS”, he also did not give detailed information on the IPPIS recruitment.

The committee members were not happy with the fact that the representative of AGF could not provide recruitment list or copies for IPPIS.

“We need a soft copy but to come here to say you do not have the payroll to people you pay money, is unbelievable.”

“If the gentleman is not well prepared he should say so and take a date for another day”. added

Speaking, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi said, “he is of the view that both the hard copy and the soft copy must be provided.”

” Your office is very critical to this investigation so the Accountant General should lead the Committee and make re appearance by 11am on Wednesday

Meanwhile Deekor said the records they had was employment of 2017.

But the Chairman of the adhoc Committee refused his submission noting that the committee was requesting records from 2015 in addition to the staff he recruited.

He questioned his position and ordered that the AGF should appear in person.

Oke said the AGF should address the parliament on efficiency of IPPIS when next he appeared before the committee.

He said “the 10th house of representatives will be one of the best because if it gets to a level of recommending for your removal — to the best of my ability, this committee is going to do that. We will ensure the right thing is done.

For the first time, we are going to recommend to the house of representatives and to the executive arm of government — Mr president to sanction MDA’s that are taking taxpayers money for granted, I swear.

“Employment racketeering, salary padding, favouritism amongst other frauds, have dwarfed the efforts of succeeding governments in Nigeria to stem the tide of unemployment among the citizenry.I want to assure the Rt Honourable Speaker and the entire Nigerians that this is not going to be a tea party.

“This committee shall discharge its terms of reference with the highest sense of responsibility and unearth the causes of the aforementioned malfeasance in public service, with the view to proffering recommendations that will serve its purpose”.