Senate moves to probe federal character principle abuse

The Senate has mandated its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation hearing into all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and the even infrastructural development across the country and to determine their level of compliance with Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The Senators made this resolution following a motion raised by Senator Osita Ngwu who acknowledged the persistent challenges in achieving equity within Nigeria’s public service, including limited recruitment opportunities, skewed promotions based on years of service rather than merit, and a lack of mobility for workers outside the public sector.

The Senators noted that despite constitutional provisions mandating fair representation across ethnic, linguistic, religious, and geographic lines, imbalances continue to exist.

They criticised several federal institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), among others, for allegedly failing to adhere to federal character mandates in their recruitment processes.

The committee is expected to report back within three months.