Our Impotent Federal Character Commission
The Federal Character Commission as constituted today, under the leadership of Shettima Abba is incapable of ensuring that federal character is reflected in federal ministries, departments and agencies. This is my humble submission on Abba and his team, particularly after reviewing the activities of the agency in relation to the 2016 lopsided recruitment into the Department of State Security. A responsible government ought to have fired this incompetent team at FCC. I am shocked that it did not happen. Abba and his team should be courageous enough to resign in view of their obvious incompetence. Rather than carrying out a forensic audit at the DSS, the FCC has simply issued an ultimatum to the security agency, to come and explain the lopsided recruitment. In fact, Abba gave the DSS a cantankerous threemonth ultimatum. A whole three months to do what? It is an obvious fact that the DSS in 2016 recruited 51 persons from Katsina State alone, more than what all the states in the South-east got, contrary to section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution as amended. On the one hand, my dear Abba, who admits to be unaware of the current nominal roll of the DSS, said in an interview last month that he believed it might be a corrective measure. On the other hand, this same Abba said that he had written to the DSS to provide justification for the lopsided appointments. The FCC Chairman had reached a conclusion, even before the arrival of the DSS report. Abba and his team were not even aware of the cockeyed recruitment in the DSS until the media drew attention to it. This country needs a proactive Federal Character Commission. Buhari must rejig the FCC and its leadership to ensure justice and equity in recruitments into our ministries, departments and agencies. This is one of the ways of reducing agitations in our nation.