Applicant tells lawmakers he paid N1m through FCC Chair’s middleman
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Federal lawmakers have discovered more sleaze in the Federal Character Commission (FCC), with one witness recounting on Tuesday how he paid N1 million bribe for a letter of employment in the civil service and earned salaries without putting in a single day’s work.
Abdulmalik Ahmed gave the testimony in Abuja to the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee investigating job racketeering at the FCC.
Another witness confessed he paid N2 million bribe to get a job.
The crimes were committed in the years of Muhammadu Buhari who presided over the bleeding of Nigeria to the bone through his irresponsible and lazy leadership that encouraged impunity at all levels of governance.
Haruna Kolo, a former IPPI desk officer at the FCC, had on Monday disclosed to the lawmakers he collected up to N75 million bribe from job applicants in exchange for employment.
He confessed he took bribe from several job seekers at the behest of FCC Chairman Muheeba Dankaka and shared the loot with her in her house.
On Tuesday, Ahmed and another applicant, Ali Yero, confirmed to lawmakers the payment of N3 million for jobs at the FCC.
Ahmed said they agreed to pay the bribe after getting assurances they would be among the first applicants to be employed in 2021.
His words: “We learnt that there was recruitment in 2021 and each of the [FCC] Commissioners and Directors had candidates. We who were nobodys, ordinary citizens of the country, we came through this process.
“After having the appointments, Mr. Kolo promised to post us like in two months’ time. That was the reason we were convinced about him. I got to know Kolo through the driver of the Taraba Commissioner at FCC.
“I transferred N1 million to Kolo’s account on the arrangement, because I was told that the monthly pay was about N140,000 or N130,000.
“We agreed on N1.5 million with the driver first. We bargained with the driver on behalf of Kolo. His name is Yusha’u Gambo.”
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My brothers contributed N2m for me to get a job, says witness
Yero in his own testimony recounted how his two brothers contributed N2 million to secure a job for him, with one contributing N1.5 million and the other N500,000.
“My brothers, Nurudeen Yero and Abdulrazak Yero, paid the sum of N2 million to Badamasi Yaro’s account on August 2, 2022. Badamasi Yaro is working with Haruna Kolo and the money paid into his account was for a job at the FCC,” he said, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
“Haruna Kolo told me the slot was from the Chairperson of the Commission [Dankaka]. That was why I would be captured under the IPPIS platform.
“Badamasi brought the employment letter with some documents for me on August 5, 2022, Badamasi took me to Treasury House where Kolo Haruna took me to the IPPIS office and [my data] was captured on the IPPIS platform.”
Yero said their appointment letters were later withdrawn by the Human Resources Unit with a promise to regularise their appointments after an investigation.
He added he continued to receive salaries even after his appointment letter was withdrawn.
After the submissions, Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi announced he would reach out to other applicants to gather comprehensive information.
Gagdi directed the House Clerk to invite FCC Secretary, Kolo, and Gambo to appear before the Committee today to explain their alleged roles as proxies in the crime.