Job racketering probe: CSOs accuse Reps C’ttee of bias against FCC boss

Over 100 frontline civil society organizations (CSOs), comprising rights activists and media executives, have lamented the way and manner the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), parastatals and tertiary institutions on mismanagement of personnel, racketeering and alleged gross mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi is going about it business.
The organizations have raised serious objections to what they referred to as “the shoddy treatment meted out to the Executive Chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr Muyeebat Dankaka.”
The group said the issue now looks like a witch-hunt, “because her organization has been hand-picked with different stories emanating from the Commission as a result of a gang-up of some Federal Commissioners and a disgruntled former staff, Haruna Kolo.
A press statement signed by the Coordinating Activist of the Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Activists, Comrade Ishaya Isa Saka and its Spokesperson, Comrade Bamidele Akanbi, lampooned the manner the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee has handled the issues so far as “a calculated with-hunt deliberately orchestrated as if the Committee was only out to deal with Dr Dankaka in the midst of so many other MDAs that have been left in the lurch and the FCC singled out for these phantom dramas and fallacies.”
The statement further read: “We are compelled to react due to the fact that the FCC has been on media trial for the past three weeks with dirty linen from the Commission dished and served to the Nigerian public by the Ad-hoc Committee and arm-twisting the Management of FCC, not to address the press to rebuff and do a rejoinder of all the unhealthy, bias statements and mischievous fallacies dished to the public,” the CSOs asserted.
“We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, this lackluster attitude of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee led by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi,” adding, “He who asks for equity must come with clean hands. You cannot lampoon and bastardize the hard-earned image of the Chairperson of FCC and, at the same time, not allowing her and her loyal and patriotic Commissioners at FCC to respond.”
The groups observed that such was “subjudice,” because the Committee is still investigating these allegations. “The Ad-hoc Committee should have known better, in the first instance, that it is investigating the issues and conduct itself in a professional manner, instead of the media trial the Commission has gone through, maligning the image and reputation of the Chairperson to high heavens all in a bid to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it,” the CSOs insisted.
Accordingly, the CCoalitionit is enamoured and shocked that the Ad-hoc Committee did not take notice of the Federal Commissioners of Osun and Lagos ambushing Haruna Kolo when he arrived the premises of the National Assembly Complex and the threats, including inducement offered to the former disgruntled staff Haruna Kolo by the duo of Osun and Lagos states respectively.
These moves, the Coalition pointed out, are aimed at influencing Kolo to go after the jugular of the FCC Chairperson. The Coalition also revealed that there was never a time that the relationship between an executive and a former staff had become so condescending to the level of the former, asking for cash transactions from the former protocol officer in whatever guise.
“We all know that, for any banking or PoS (Point of Sale) transaction, there must be an offer and acceptance, (i.e. there must be a receipt from any transaction), not to even mention the enormous funds involved,” the Coalition asserted.
It also continued: “Mr Haruna Kolo should produce all the receipts covering the transaction, including cash allegedly received by his former boss. This is because, there must be empirical evidence, so that the Ad-hoc Committee would not depend on mere hearsay: We believe there must be instructions to the later by his former boss either in documents or hard copy from Dr Dankaka to Haruna Kolo or vice-versa. This is to prove the veracity of Haruna Kolo’s claims against Dr Dankaka. It would further prove that the relation thus exists this far and official receipts also from the Point of Sales agent (PoS) to buttress the alleged facts at stake, instead of mere allegations and pointing of accusing fingers. It is not enough to merely assert that because the transfer of the huge sums of money was done through PoS, hence there is no documents to back up the claim.”
The Coalition continued, “In view of the foregoing, we therefore call on patriotic Nigerians, the Press and the entire members of the National Assembly (NASS), to disregard, discountenance these machinations in all ramifications. Let the Ad-hoc Committee in particular, or the National Assembly in general, not swallow these allegations line, hook and sinker. Already, a lot of damage has been done to the personality of Dr Dankaka, which has caused her trauma, psychological torture in the eyes of discerning Nigerians and her nucleus family.”
“Forcing her to swear on the Holy Quran with her photographs lavishly and prominently published by the press, alone is enough humiliation which should be stopped henceforth,” the Coalition avowed, adding that, “this is a calculated mischief carried too far to smear the Commission, in spite of the many infractions taking place on daily basis in other MDAs.”
The Coalition noted that “The huge sums of N38.5 million, as well as N75 million as proceeds of employment racketeering found in Kolo’s various accounts show that he is a real master-mind in consultation with the disgruntled few Federal Commissioners, and should face the wrath of the law by been arrested for when he came for the hearing. This is informed by the fact that he wilfully swindled innocent and unsuspecting Nigerians of their hard-earned money for a phantom and non-existent jobs. We earnestly yearn that Kolo should be arrested forthwith and forced to face the law for having such an amount in his accounts as a Public Servant, an action which is against the Service Financial Regulations and extant laws.”
The group has, therefore, asked: “Why is the Federal Character Commission the main pre-occupation of the Ad-hoc Committee members, while they are supposed to be investigating other MDAs and Parastatals?” Again, “who has Dr Dankaka offended?” or “Who is afraid of her being in the saddle at the FCC?”