Former Senate President and present Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Get together, Adolphus Wabara, has referred to as for the sacking of the Chairman of the Federal Character Fee, Muheeba Dankaka, over corruption allegations.
Talking in an unique interview with Saturday PUNCH, the previous Senate President shared his expertise throughout a go to to the FCC, the place he sought job placements for people in his constituency.
He revealed that he was knowledgeable that jobs weren’t out there and not using a bribe.
“I bodily went to the FCC, requesting two or three jobs for some individuals in my wards. You’ll not imagine that up until now, nothing has been accomplished for the straightforward cause that I’ve not dropped any cash and that they can not even ask me to drop cash. However I discovered from some individuals there that they wouldn’t give any job to my ward without spending a dime,” he acknowledged.
This isn’t the primary time such allegations of job racketeering have surfaced concerning the FCC.
Throughout one of many Home of Representatives Committee public hearings tasked with investigating job racketeering, 14 witnesses testified about paying cash to a former Built-in Personnel and Payroll Data System desk officer on the FCC, Haruna Kolo, for job placements.
Kolo, throughout an interrogation, admitted to gathering cash from job seekers and claimed to have handed it over to Dankaka.
Nevertheless, the committee investigating the matter led by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau) has but to launch its findings one yr after, elevating suspicions that the inquiry could have been suppressed.
A supply inside the Home of Representatives, who requested anonymity as a result of he was not authorised to talk on the matter, indicated that substantial proof was collected however went unaddressed because of the affect of these implicated.
Wabara criticised the APC-led authorities and the Nationwide Meeting for allegedly ignoring the matter bordering on corruption.
“Regardless of the intense allegations, nothing has been accomplished. I anticipated the identical swift motion that was taken in opposition to Betta Edu (former minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation) to be utilized right here,” he stated.
He accused the ruling get together of failing to uphold its dedication to fight corruption, claiming that the present administration had seen an increase in corrupt practices.
In the meantime, efforts to get the committee chairman, Gagdi, to react to the difficulty had been unsuccessful as calls made to his cell phone went unanswered.
He additionally didn’t reply to SMS and WhatsApp messages despatched to him as of the time of submitting this report.
Equally, makes an attempt to get the Home of Representatives spokesman, Akin Rotimi, to talk on the matter proved abortive.
He didn’t reply to calls to his telephones and a message to his WhatsApp.
In response to the allegations, an APC chieftain and former minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, demanded for thorough investigations.
He revealed that he had spoken with an FCC member who confirmed the claims of job racketeering.
Shittu emphasised the necessity for accountability, saying, “If the President acted rapidly in opposition to Betta Edu, comparable actions needs to be taken on this case. We should be certain that there aren’t any selective investigations into corruption.”
He acknowledged that there needs to be an pressing motion to handle the problems inside the FCC and restore public confidence within the fee.
“This isn’t a political difficulty and never about our get together, the APC, however about the necessity to do the fitting factor. Folks have accused this girl, and it’s only by means of public investigation that we are able to certify that the lady was certainly a sufferer of blasphemy.
“So, I wish to enchantment to Mr President and the Senate President that one thing concrete needs to be accomplished about it by the use of correct investigation.”