Without working, I earned salaries after paying N1m for job slot at FCC, man tells probe panel
In the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee into alleged job racketeering and misuse of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, a new chapter of wrongdoing has been unveiled at the Federal Character Commission (FCC). The committee’s hearings on Tuesday revealed further instances of questionable activities involving the Commission.
Just a day after Haruna Kolo, a former desk officer at the FCC, confessed to facilitating the receipt of substantial sums from job seekers on behalf of the FCC chairman, Muheebat Dankaka, more startling revelations have come to light. During the continuation of the inquiry, two individuals, Abdulmalik Ahmed and Ali Yero, testified about payments they made to secure jobs at the FCC.
According to Ahmed’s testimony, he and his associate agreed to a significant payment of N3 million (approximately $7,000) after being promised that their appointments would be guaranteed as part of the early batch of hires for 2021. Ahmed claimed that they discovered that commissioners and directors at the FCC had candidates they favored for employment, leaving ordinary citizens like themselves at a disadvantage.
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Yero, on the other hand, informed the committee that his two brothers had paid a total of N2 million in installments to secure his job at the FCC. He revealed that one brother paid N1.5 million initially, followed by another N500,000 as a balance. Yero explained that Haruna Kolo, the intermediary, claimed that the job slot had come from the chairperson of the FCC, assuring him that his employment would be registered under the IPPIS platform.
The testimonies of Ahmed and Yero raised concerns about the alleged involvement of FCC employees, such as Haruna Kolo and individuals like Yusha’u Gambo and Badamasi Yaro. Both individuals alleged that their appointment letters were taken back by the FCC’s Human Resources Unit after some time, with a promise to regularize their status post-investigation.
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In response to these revelations, Yusuf Gagdi, the chairman of the committee, urged the witnesses to contact other applicants who might have been similarly affected, in order to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. The committee has directed Haruna Kolo, the secretary, and the driver of the Taraba Commissioner at the FCC to appear before them on Wednesday. The aim is to clarify their roles and involvement in the alleged job racketeering scheme.
As the investigation unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the allegations of job racketeering and misuse of the IPPIS system are not confined to a single incident. The revelations from the FCC underscore the urgent need for transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s government institutions to ensure fair and equitable employment opportunities for all citizens.
