News Investigators/ Kayode Oladele, Acting Chairman, Federal Character Commission (FCC), says the commission has constitutional power to sanction Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fail to comply with the Federal Character Act.
Mr Oladele stated this while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the commission had been empowered to take legal action against any agency that violates provisions of the Act, particularly in areas relating to appointments, promotions and distribution of public infrastructure.
”We have the power to sanction, if an agency fails to comply with the Act, especially on appointments and promotions, we will take legal action.
”The Director of Legal Services has been directed to review areas of possible infractions, and where violations are confirmed, appropriate legal action will be taken.
”The FCC, as provided in Section 153 (1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, is established to ensure fairness, inclusiveness and unity through equitable distribution of appointments and infrastructure.
”Our mission is to give every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity, religion or region a sense of belonging in the federation,” he said.
The acting chairman explained that the FCC had written to over 700 MDAs requesting their nominal rolls and was currently analysing the data.
He added that the commission had also begun inviting agencies for interactive sessions to further assess their level of compliance.
According to him, the commission uses its internal formula to determine the percentage of representation each state holds in the federal civil service.
While decrying the low public awareness about the commission’s mandate, Oladele said that the FCC under his leadership was being restructured to improve efficiency on issues relating to perceived imbalance in recruitment or appointments.
He said he was also working to restore staff morale in the commission.
”When I came in, I met a demoralised workforce. Factors such as poor leadership, under funding and mis-perception of the commission’s role contributed to this.
”But I am happy to report that we have started repositioning the commission, and morale is high. Staff are now motivated to work,” he said.
Mr Oladele however lamented the commission’s poor funding, revealing that out of the N6 billion allocated in the 2025 budget, N5.7 billion was for recurrent expenditure.
”How can we carry out our constitutional mandate with less than N1 billion for capital and overheads? We need more support to function effectively,” he said.
He disclosed that the FCC had recently conducted an integrity assessment of its office buildings with the help of external consultants and submitted the report to the Federal Government.
He commended the media for its role in national development and called for stronger collaboration in promoting the commission’s mandate.
He emphasised the critical role of the media in shaping public understanding and urged journalists to report objectively and accurately on the activities of the commission.
“The media must be our partner in progress, not just to inform but to engage the public meaningfully,” he added.
NAN
