By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives, Wednesday mandated its Committees on Federal Character and Public Service Matters to invite the Head of Service of the Federation and the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over alleged marginalisation in recruitment.
Those to be invited are to explain the rationale for the marginalization of Bayelsa and other states in an ongoing recruitments exercise of the TCN.
The Green Chamber decisions followed the adoption of a motion on the Need to Address the Short-change Against Bayelsa State in the Skewed Recruitment by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, and Other Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government moved by Hon. Preye Influence Goodluck Oseke.
The House noted that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is in the process of concluding a recruitment exercise in which over 400 applicants have been favourably considered.
It also noted that only a few of such successful applicants are from Bayelsa State, despite the very many eligibly qualified applicants from the state.
It further noted that considering youths restiveness on account of mass unemployment, “this act of bias and uneven distribution of opportunities could negatively impact on unethical conducts perpetrated by youths of the state.”
The House was concerned that the “disequilibrium of the opportunities skewed against Bayelsa State is not only discriminatory, but amounts to a clear breach of sections 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) on the application of the federal character principle.”
It said section 318(1) of the 1999 Constitution defines Federal Character as ‘the distinctive desire of the people of Nigeria to promote national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen of Nigeria a sense of belonging to the nation’ as expressed in section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution.
The House worried that the continued marginalization and discrimination of the people of Bayelsa State and other states in previous and ongoing recruitment exercises by Ministries, Departments and Agencies is a potential cause for disaffection among the teeming unemployed youths who desire gainful employment.
