The Chairperson, Federal Character Commission (FCC), Muheeba Dankaka, says the commission was like a marketplace for selling job slots before she assumed office, stating that an attempt to stop the alleged corruption pitched her against some commissioners.
Dankaka made the revelation during the week while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged job racketeering and abuse of Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) by Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs).
The House had directed the chairperson and all the 36 commissioners of the commission to appear on Wednesday after she failed to do so on Tuesday.
The chairperson who appeared with some of the commissioners was accused of alleged job racketeering and abuse of extant laws and the FCC establishment Act by some of the commissioners tagged ‘Integrity Group’.
Speaking before the committee, the commissioner representing Osun State in the commission, Abdulrazak Adewuyi and his counterpart representing Rivers State, Okwacha Augustine alleged that the chairperson had been running the commission in violation of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 2 of the FCC Act and other extant laws.
However, Dankaka denied the allegations and accused the commissioners from the ‘Integrity Group’ of mischief and blackmail.
She said that the commissioners making the allegations had been on her neck as a result of her refusal to compromise.
In a viral video of the panel session, Dankaka said her move to stop the sale of job slots at the commission on her assumption of office did not go down well with some of the commissioners.
She said, “Before I came here, I have made my name. I have made my money. Let me tell you a small story. Some of them (commissioners) have reasons why they are attacking me. When I first came in, most of them were my close people. All of them were always in my office, but what they wanted me to do I told them I cannot do it.
“I am a very quiet person and I keep certain secrets as executive chairman. I have to swallow certain things and leave everything in the hands of God. Before I came to this place, they were selling (job) slots. The place was like a market. And you can find out from the people living in Abuja if I am lying.
“When I came in, I met all the commissioners and told them I don’t want anything that will destroy me and my family. All of them can bear me witness.”
The chairperson alleged that a commissioner bought a landed property and promised the seller to pay for it with job slots, but she thwarted the plan.
The Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, consequently directed that the chairperson should submit her response to the allegations in writing as well as submit all documents required for the investigation and submit on Friday.
He added that the chairperson should appear with all the 36 commissioners on Monday for the resumed investigative hearing.
