Inauguration of Ministers: Reps’ job racketeering committee shifts hearing to Tuesday
By Emma Ogbuehi
The inauguration of the ministers, the hearing of the Adhoc Committee investigating Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Parastatals and Tertiary Institutions on Mismanagement of Personnel Recruitment Employment Racketeering and Gross Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, which was earlier scheduled to continue on Monday, August 21, 2023, has been moved to Tuesday, 22, 2023.
The Chairman of the Committee, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, said this was to enable heads of agencies, parastatals, departments and other institutions to attend or participate in the swearing-in ceremony of ministers scheduled at the same time of the hearing.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) was to make a presentation before the Legislative panel on Monday. Other agencies who were asked to make more submissions after their appearance last week were also expected at the hearing.
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The investigative hearings which started on August 1, 2023, has so made revelations that the Committee Chairmen, Gagdi, has said will aid the lawmakers make informed decisions in making its final recommendations to the House.
He has consistently assured that the Committee will be fair and just, to every of the over 600 agencies under its probe.
In the previous outing by the committee, the chairman, Gagdi decried the deliberate exclusion of common Nigerians from recruitment into public institutions through the use of waivers.
Speaking when the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) appeared before the committee, Gagdi said it was unacceptable that the common man is denied the opportunity to get employment into Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government.
He made the comment after observations by the committee members that many agencies preferred to secure waivers from the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and other relevant agencies to recruit staff into the civil service without notifying the public of those vacancies through advertisements.
The lawmaker also noted that many of the agencies do not reflect federal character in their employment, leading to a situation where some states get many slots, while others are left with next to nothing.
He, therefore, demanded that all agencies who are to appear before the committee must submit their nominal payroll to enable the committee scrutinise and make appropriate recommendations where the Federal Character representation is skewed.