Senate Probes Federal Character Violations By NDIC, Other MDAs

The Senate on Tuesday deplored what it described as violations of the principles of federal character in the appointments, recruitments and promotions in some key federal institutions and agencies.

Specifically, the upper legislative chamber fingered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Pension Commission (PENCOM), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and several other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as culprits.

The matter was a subject of debate at plenary as Senator Osita Ngwu called the Senate’s attention to the alleged violations through a motion.

Ngwu’s motion, entitled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector,” got the attention of the lawmakers.

Ngwu, who led the debate, cited Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly prohibit the dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions.

He observed that while recruitment opportunities are limited, promotions are often based solely on years of service rather than merit, leading to the continued marginalisation of certain regions.

According to him, the lack of accountability in enforcing federal character principles has compromised fairness in the public sector, with senior-level recruitments often influenced by cronyism instead of competence.

Ngwu further observed that while the federal capital principle aims to balance merit with equitable state representation, its poor implementation has negatively affected discipline, morale, and institutional efficiency.

According to him, “The federal character principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation.”

He continued, “Section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution unequivocally stipulate that ‘no predominance of persons from a few states or a few ethnic or sectional groups’ should exist within the federal government or its agencies.”

Ngwu listed the NNPCL and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), PENCOM, NDIC, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) as non comliant entities.

He accused them of consistently failing to adhere to federal character Mandates, and often bypassing regulations in their recruitment exercises.

Ngwu warned that unchecked violations of federal character laws would continue to erode the effectiveness of key legislative provisions.

He listed the affected legislative provions to include Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of the Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997, and Section 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

He also raised concerns about the lack of independence of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

Ngwu observed that despite the Commission’s constitutional mandate, it remains weakened by underfunding, political interference, and a lack of enforcement power.

While approving the probe of the affected entities, the Senate directed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct investigative hearings into their activities.

The committee is expected to submit its findings within four weeks.

Senate Probes Federal Character Violations By NDIC, Other MDAs is first published on The Whistler Newspaper