The Federal Character Commission (FCC) is facing more scrutiny as the House of Representatives’ special committee delves deeper into claims of job racketeering and the misuse of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System by various government departments.
In a previous session, ex-FCC desk officer, Haruna Kolo, admitted to collecting large sums from job hopefuls for the FCC chairman, Muheebat Dankaka.
On Tuesday, Abdulmalik Ahmed and Ali Yero revealed they had paid N3 million to secure positions at the FCC. Ahmed explained they were assured priority in the 2021 hiring process. The payments were split, with one giving N1.5m and the other settling the N500,000 balance.
Ahmed detailed, “My brothers, Nurudeen Yero and Abdulrazak Yero, transferred N2m to Badamasi Yaro on August 2, 2022. Yaro, associated with Kolo, collected the funds for FCC jobs. Kolo informed me the job slot came directly from the commission’s chairperson, ensuring my inclusion in the IPPIS. Yaro then provided my employment papers on August 5, 2022, and with Kolo, I was registered on the IPPIS system.”
However, their official appointments were later retracted by the HR department for further review, though Yero mentioned he continued to receive a salary.
After hearing their accounts, Committee Chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, instructed the witnesses to help contact other implicated applicants. He also ordered Kolo and others linked to the racket to appear before the committee the next day for further questioning.
