Television Nigerian

The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs has ramped up its investigation into purported recruitment irregularities at the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).

During a public hearing on Thursday in Abuja, the committee led by Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East) questioned PENCOM’s adherence to the Federal Character Principle, after stakeholders expressed concerns about marginalisation in the commission’s hiring practices.

During her appearance before the committee, PENCOM’s Director-General, Mrs. Omolola Oworonran, along with the Executive Secretary and other high-ranking commission officials, acknowledged that disparities in regional staff representation exist.

She recognized that certain local governments and states have a disproportionate representation, while others are insufficiently represented.

Documents reviewed by the committee indicate that PENCOM’s recruitment since its last exercise in 2021 has revealed significant discrepancies.

As an example, it has been reported that Delta State employs 16 staff members, six of whom are from one local government area. Four of the six from Ebonyi are from one LGA; Edo possesses 12, including five from a single LGA; while Gombe has 19, including 11 from a single LGA.

To guarantee grassroots inclusivity, Senator Onyesoh emphasized that future recruitment should prioritize equitable distribution across local governments instead of states or geopolitical zones.

While he praised PENCOM for showing up before the committee, he also took issue with the involvement of some federal institutions in compromising recruitment transparency.

Whenever a recruitment exercise occurs, it is frequently undermined by other government agencies such as IPPIS, the Office of the Head of Service, the Office of the Accountant General, and even the Federal Character Commission, all of whom insist on their own share. Onyesoh declared, “This practice must come to an end.

Other committee members expressed similar concerns. Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) stated that, according to the committee’s examination of submitted documents, no ministry, department, or agency had completely adhered to the Federal Character guidelines.

He cautioned that future appointments violating the guidelines would be examined closely and could possibly be invalidated.

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Senator Amos Yohanna (Adamawa North) voiced significant discontent regarding PENCOM’s recruitment records, labeling them “the worst” encountered to date. He maintained that the commission needed to act right away to rectify the imbalance.

It was noted by Mrs. Oworonran that states with insufficient representation, such as Rivers and Jigawa, have been pinpointed, and that in future recruitment rounds the commission will prioritize individuals from those regions who meet the qualifications. She committed to keeping lines of communication open with the Senate committee regarding all future recruitment efforts.

The investigation conducted by the committee is a component of a larger initiative by the Senate aimed at enforcing transparency and equity in recruitment practices across federal agencies, as well as ensuring that infrastructure distribution aligns with constitutional mandates promoting fairness and inclusivity among regions.

The Senate investigation is ongoing, with additional sessions anticipated in the next few weeks.

Before the upcoming local government elections in the state, a group of All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Lagos’ Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have urged President Bola Tinubu to form a panel to address the alleged injustices experienced by some candidates in the recently concluded party primaries for chairmanship and councillorship positions.

Members of the party have expressed discontent with the conduct and results of the primaries, which were held at the party’s state secretariat on Acme Road. The protests have extended throughout Lagos.

The demonstrators claimed that party leaders and electoral committee members unfairly excluded other candidates by manipulating the process to favor hand-picked candidates.

The Concerned APC Stakeholders in Eti-Osa East LCDA group urged Tinubu to step in and form an inquiry panel in an open letter to the president that was made accessible to reporters on Thursday.

In an effort to right the perceived wrongs and restore internal party democracy, the group is calling for an investigation into the alleged “impunity” and “electoral fraud” that they say polluted the primaries.

Many candidates are upset with the primaries’ conclusion, not because they lost legitimately but rather because the process was tainted and the public’s will was undermined. What should have been a democratic exercise in several local government areas throughout the state—most obviously in Eti-Osa East LCDA—became a planned display of partiality, dishonesty, and betrayal of our party’s core values.

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One particularly troubling instance is the case of Hon. John Campos Ogundare, the current Chairman of Eti-Osa East LCDA. In a highly undemocratic way, he was denied the party’s chairmanship ticket in spite of his outstanding performance and the evident changes that emerged under his direction, such as the restoration of security, environmental reforms, youth empowerment, and improved cooperation between the party and the government.

“It is documented that within the first six months of taking office, Hon. Campos Ogundare addressed the LCDA’s security issues head-on, restoring calm and tranquility to a region that had previously been riven by turmoil and dread.

“There have been noticeable advancements, and the locals continue to love his people-focused initiatives. Therefore, it is both unreasonable and unfair for leaders who are self-centered and insensitive to deny such a man the chance to carry on his good deeds once he has established trustworthy and cooperative relationships,” the letter stated in part.

The APC stakeholders stated in the cited letter, “A Call for Presidential Intervention In The Crisis Rocking APC In Lagos Arising from Electoral Malpractices & Injustice That Marred the just-concluded primaries of the party in The State for Forthcoming LG Elections,” that the party could not afford the internal conflict caused by the primaries, particularly in Eti-Osa, where the party lost the area’s Federal Constituency to the Labour Party in the general election of 2023.

“As we write this, sir, the APC in Eti-Osa East is divided, and the majority of the decent members of the LCDA are angry over the injustice done to the council’s _performing_ Executive Chairman, who is the favorite of the electorate and is revolutionizing administration in the neighborhood where you live.

The letter went on to say, “Mr. President, you would be doing no good if you let this injustice continue, since the electoral fraud directly contradicts your commitment to justice and equity.”