Reps probe basin authorities recruitment over federal character violation
The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character, on Thursday, commenced investigations into the level of compliance with the Federal Character Principle on the recruitment of staff members by the nation’s 12 river basin authorities.
This was as the committee chaired by a former Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, questioned the Managing Directors of the Hadejia-Jama’a River Basin Authority and the Upper-Niger Basin Development Authority on the agencies’ staff strength and recruitment process about compliance with the federal character requirement.
Speaking at the event held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, Wase stated that all federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies must be guided by the principle of federal character in their recruitment of staff members as provided for in the 1999 constitution (as amended).
While grilling the Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’a River Basin Authority, Mahmud Dankwali, Wase pointed out what he called an anomaly in the agency’s documents submitted to the committee on its staff recruitment process, noting that the last recruitment carried out by the agency did not reflect the six geo-political zones in the country.
“The recruitment you did in 2018 did not reflect the federal character principle,” Wase said, to which Dankwali responded “We have a staff strength of 275. The North West has the highest number, with Kano State having 155. Katsina has four and Kebbi has two.”
According to him, Anambra and Edo states have a staff member each while other states of the federation have none.
Similarly, the committee also grilled the Managing Director of the Upper-Niger River Basin Development Authority, Prof Mohammed Ali, on the agency’s staff strength and recruitment of staff, asking him to furnish it with the relevant documents.
Unable to provide satisfactory documents, the panel asked the chief executives of the two agencies to re-appear on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, with the list of applications received, names of shortlisted candidates, and the list of successful candidates that passed the recruitment examinations exercise.
