MDAs face tougher sanctions as FCC enforces Federal Character compliance

The Federal Character Commission (FCC) says it has introduced stricter monitoring mechanisms and tougher penalties for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that violate the Federal Character Act.

Peter Eze, chairman of the FCC committee on works, transport and aviation, announced the development in Abuja on Friday during an interactive session with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at the commission’s headquarters.

Eze, federal commissioner representing Enugu at the FCC, said the engagement was aimed at assessing the NPA’s level of compliance while strengthening cooperation between both institutions.

According to him, the NPA management was briefed on the commission’s new compliance framework, revised operational guidelines and sanctions for MDAs found to have breached the Federal Character Act.

“The essence of this engagement is to evaluate the performance of the Federal Character Commission’s mandate and to ensure that, going forward, there is no room for non-compliance with the federal character principles,” he said.

Eze said the commission’s new reforms are intended to ensure stricter enforcement of the law across public institutions.

“They were appropriately briefed on what they did not know about the new reforms of the FCC, under the leadership of the Executive Chairman, Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran,” he said.

“They have been informed about our new rules, the penalties for violations, and the measures we will take against any MDA that goes against the commission’s mandate.”

He expressed confidence that closer collaboration between the FCC and the NPA would strengthen institutional governance and promote national unity.

“We are confident that we are going to collaborate very well and make this country a better place,” he said.

Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the NPA, reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to complying with the federal character principles and the commission’s new regulatory framework.

Dantsoho described the engagement as fruitful and commended what he called the commission’s ongoing institutional reforms.

“I was very impressed by the convivial atmosphere, the warm reception and the quality of discussions,” he said.

“I commend the transformative leadership at the commission and give credit for these positive developments to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The NPA boss said collaboration among government institutions and strict adherence to established rules and policies are critical to strengthening public institutions and improving service delivery.

“Everybody should come to the reality that we cannot make meaningful progress without collaboration, partnership and ensuring that laid-down rules, regulations and policies are complied with to the letter,” he said.