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•100 CSOs accuse House of witch-hunt
From Fred Itua and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Victims of job racketeering, Andulamalik Ahmed and Ali Yaro, yesterday, told the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged job racketeering in Ministries, Departments and Agencies ( MDAs) how they paid millions for job placement.
The duo, who spoke at the resumed hearing of the panel, told lawmakers that they paid N1 million and N2 million, respectively, into the bank account of a former official of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) for jobs.
Ahmed told the panel that the driver of one of the Federal Commissioners promised to secure a job for him, if he pays the sum of N1 million. According to him, he refused to pay because he considered the driver too low to secure an employment for him.
He explained that the latter, thereafter, introduced him to a higher official, who eventually collected N1m from him in lieu of employment.
Ahmed added that 27 of them were issued employment letters, after making the payments, but they were never posted to any of the MDAs.
Similarly, Yaro told the panel that he allegedly N2 million to secure a job at the FCC, noting that he was captured on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System ( IPPIS) but was not placed in any MDA.
Yaro, an indigene of Borno State, while bemoaning his fate, said “I graduated 11 years ago, and I had a chance to become Boko Haram but I refused because I want to be a good citizen.”
The chairman of the panel, Yusuf Gagdi, while speaking at the investigative hearing, invited a former IPPIS Desk Officer in the FCC, Haruna Kolo to appear before the Committee today.
According to him, “you have told us who you gave money to, we will re invite you and have a close door meeting with the 27 of you.”
Meanwhile, over 100 Civil Society Organisations, known as Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Activists, have implored the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing MDAs, FCC to act within the bounds of professionalism.
The Committee had alleged that employment scam midwifed by Kolo took place before Dr. Muyeebat Dankaka assumed office and that Kolo as protocol officer did not work directly under the FCC chairperson but with other commissioners under the IPPIS scheme.
But the group, in a statement by its coordinator, Ishaya Isa Saka and spokesperson, Bamidele Akanbi, objected to the claim and described it as shoddy treatment meted out to Dankaka.
Saka said the issue has taken the twist of a witch-hunt because her organisation has been handpicked with different stories emanating from the FCC as a result of a gang-up of some Commissioners and Kolo.
According to him, it was uncharitable for the Committee to run to the media in an attempt to soil the image of the FC C boss when the investigation was still ongoing.
He said It was enamoured that the Ad-hoc Committee did not take notice of the Federal Commissioners of Osun and Lagos States who are ambushing Haruna Kolo when he arrived the premises of the National Assembly Complex and the threats, including inducement offered to the former staff Kolo by them.
The Coalition called on the “House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee to toe the line of professionalism and stop this with-hunt and media trial of Dr Dankaka forthwith,” for “she has the right to protect her office against savages and hawks who are vehement to share the so-called National Cake among themselves.”
The statement read:
“That the employment racketeering midwifed by Haruna Kolo took place before Dr Dankaka assumed office and that Kolo as protocol officer did not work directly under the FCC Chairperson but with other commissioners under the IPPIS scheme.
“The organizations raised serious objections and alarm on what they referred to as “the shoddy treatment meted out to the Executive Chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr Muyeebat Dankaka.”
He called We call on the “House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee to tow the line of professionalism and stop this with-hunt and media trial of Dr Dankaka forthwith,” for “she has the right to protect her office against savages and hawks who are vehement to share the so-called National Cake among themselves.”
