The Federal Government has said it would prosecute the Chief Executive of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) involved in illegal recruitment and promotion.
The Chairman Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr. Muheeba Dankaka, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the occasion of two year anniversary of the 5th board of the commission.
According to her, there was a turn around and changes of operational committees, enhanced monitoring and enforcement activities and a zero tolerance for non compliance.
“May I therefore call on Ministries, Departments and Agencies to abide by our extant circulars on recruitment as it is an offence to recruit, or conduct promotion exercises without recourse to the Federal Character Commission.
“The commission is poised for a strategic prosecution of any MDA, or particularly any Chief Executive who disregard our guidelines and laws,” Dankaka said.
She noted that it was exactly two years that President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the FCC board comprising eminent Nigerians with a charge to live above board, unify the country through the instrumentality of the Federal Character Principle and contribute its quota towards nation building of entrenching justice, fairness and equity.
“Now, two years down the line, we have tried within the period to live up to these expectations. We have worked to consolidate on the gains of the past. I am happy to announce the final process towards embarking on the equitable distribution of infrastructural facilities, social amenities and economic facilities,” she said.
She also said that the organisation had obtained approval from the Ministry of National Planning for the commission to be involved in MDAs budget processes with the view to providing input, as regards to fair and equitable distribution of projects during planning and execution stages.
“It is against this background that the committee on the formulae for the distribution pattern of the infrastructural facilities and social economic amenities has concluded their assignment. We will be deliberating on the report and after approval by the plenary, the document will be submitted to Mr. President for his approval according to the law,” the FCC boss said.
She said that having realized the lacuna in the commission’s enabling Act and the need for the commission to be potent and react wholesomely to the dynamics of the time.
“We are in the process of amendments of our laws. The National Assembly has since provided the platform and we hope it will be concluded soon. In the same vein, an in-house review of our Business Rules and Ethics has been completed. This will improve our deliberations and regulate our activities,” Dankaka said.
She said the commission would continue to bring out deliberate policies to make its own contributions to promote peace and unity in the country, especially now that the fragmentation in the polity is at an alarming rate.
