Job Racketeering: Reps query lack of Federal Character in FRC, NIHSA nominal roles

…Paucity of funds stalls recruitment of 173 staff – FRC Boss

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating Job racketeering in Ministries Departments and Agencies and Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, on Tuesday queried the Managing Director Fisical Responsibility Commission, FRC and the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency, NIHSA over loop-sided employment carried out in 2015 with no regards to the federal character commission, FCC

This was just as the Executive chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Barr. Victor Muruako disclosed that lack of funds has prevented the recruitment of 173 fresh staff into the agency since 2022.

Muruako made the disclosure on Tuesday when he appeared before the committee on job racketeering and abuse of the IPPIS by ministries, departments and agencies of government.

He said the commission was given approval since 2022 to recruit 173 members of staff but due to lack of funds, the exercise has not be carried out.

On the seeming lopsidedness in the nominal roll of staff of the agency, the executive chairman promised that the lapses would be redressed when the next recruitment is conducted.

He explained that the last two recruitments carried out by the commission in 2010 and 2012 were done before he assumed duty as acting chairman, although was a director at the time.

Earlier, chairman of the ad hoc committee, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi (APC, Plateau) had queried the chairman over the lack of federal character in the nominal role of staff of the Commission.

He said “In the appendix 5- summary page, I see that Imo state has the highest with 14 staff, Benue is second with eight while Bauchi, Borno, Kwara, Lagos, Osun has zero. In fact, apart from Imo and Benue, no state has more than four staff.

” Is it because you are from Imo state and decided to corner all the jobs to your state? We want to either these wrongs and ensure that the principle of federal character is strictly complied with by MDAs”

But responding, Mr. Muruako explained that he was not responsible for the previous recruitments adding that he only brought in two assistants who are not statutory staff of the commission but political appointees.

“These recruitments were done in 2010 and 2012 and since I came, we have not done any recruitment because we do not have the resources to do so.

“But I want to assure this Honourable committee that we shall address the imbalance when the impending recruitment is carried out”.

Responding, Hon. Gagdi promised that the committee would ake case for the Fiscal Responsibility Commission before the Budget Office to ensure that adequate funds are allocated to the agency to carry out its functions.

In a related development, the ad hoc committee also queried the director general of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Mr. Clement Nze over the lopsidedness in recruitment and nominal roll of staff.

The committee frowned at the revelation that out of 11 staff from Abia state, seven are from Ummonochi local government area where the DG hails from.

The ad hoc committee equally picked holes in the discovery that out of 7 staff from Borno state, 3 were from Askira Uba local government area- the same as the director, hydrogeophysics, Mr. Stephen Margima Jabo.

In his ruling, chairman of the ad hoc committee, Hon. Gagdi directed the DG to furnish then with a comprehensive list of staff spread by states among others.