We paid N3m for FCC jobs, witnesses tell reps

Two applicants Tuesday confessed they bought jobs, through proxies, for N3m at the Federal Character Commission (FCC). 

Abdulmalik Isah Ahmed and Ali Muhammad Yero confessed this to the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives investigating the alleged job racketeering and abuse of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System by ministries, departments and agencies.

A desk officer of the FCC, Haruna Kolo, had on Monday told the committee that he received millions of Naira from job-seekers on behalf of the chairman of the commission, Muheeba Dankaka.

Dankaka had sworn with the Quran that he neither received money from Kolo nor was she involved in job racketeering.

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Without working, I got salaries after paying N1m for job slot at FCC, man confesses

Narrating how they got jobs, Ahmed said: “We learnt there was a recruitment in 2021 recruitment, each of the commissioners have candidates. After having the appointments, Mr Kolo promised us postings in two months’ time. 

“So, we came through Kolo, through this means of paying money and he promised us that since he had others to go with our batch.

“I got to know Kolo through the driver of the Taraba Commissioner. 

“I transferred a million Naira to Kolo’s account on the arrangement that because I was told that, the monthly pay is about N140,000 or N130,000. So, we agreed on N1.5m with the driver first. We bargained with the driver on behalf of Kolo. His name is Yusha’u Gambo”.

Also speaking, Yero said his two brothers paid N2m in instalments to secure the job for him.

“My brothers, Nurudeen Yero and Abdulrazak Yero, paid the sum of N2m Naira to Badamasi Yaro’s account on the 2nd of August 2022. Badamasi Yaro is working with Haruna Kolo and the money paid into his account was for a job at Federal Character Commission. 

“Haruna Kolo told me the slot was from the chairperson of the commission. Badamasi brought the employment letter with some documents for me on the 5th of August 2022. Badamasi took me to the Treasury House where Kolo Haruna took me to the IPPIS office and I was captured on IPPIS platform”.

The witnesses said their appointment letters were later collected by the Human Resources unit of the FCC at a meeting with the applicants, with a promise of regularization after an investigation.

Yero said despite the fact that his appointment letter was collected by the commission, he was still receiving salary without working.

He said he mounted pressure for posting because he did not want to continue receiving salary without working.

The chairman of the committee, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, asked the witnesses to reach out to other applicants involved for a meeting with the panel.

He also directed the clerk of the committee to invite Kolo, the secretary and the driver to the commissioner representing Taraba at the FCC to explain their roles as proxies in the alleged job racketeering.