The attention of over 100 frontline anti-corruption civil society organizations (CSOs) comprising of rights activists and media executives, has been drawn to the unprofessional manner that the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Parastatals and Tertiary Institutions on Mismanagement of Personnel Racketeering and alleged Gross Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi.

The organizations raised serious objections and alarm on what they referred to as “the shoddy treatment meted out to the Executive Chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr Muyeebat Dankaka.” The group said the issue now looks like a witch-hunt, “because her organization has been hand-picked with different stories emanating from the Commission as a result of a gang-up of some Federal Commissioners and disgruntled former staff Haruna Kolo.

“We are compelled to react due to the fact that the FCC has been on media trial for the past three weeks with dirty linen from the Commission dished and served to the Nigerian public by the Ad-hoc Committee and arm-twisting the Management of FCC, not to address the press to rebuff and do a rejoinder of all the unhealthy, bias statements and mischievous fallacies dished to the public,” the CSOs asserted.

They further added: “We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, this lackluster attitude of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee led by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi,” adding, “He who asks for equity must come with clean hands. You cannot lampoon and bastardize the hard-earned image of the Chairperson of FCC and, at the same time, not allowing her and her loyal and patriotic Commissioners at FCC to respond.”

The groups observed that such was “subjudice,” because the Committee is still investigating these allegations. “The Ad-hoc Committee should have known better, in the first instance, that it is investigating the issues and conduct itself in a professional manner, instead of the media trial the Commission has gone through, maligning the image and reputation of the Chairperson to high heavens all in a bid to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it,” the CSOs insisted.

Accordingly, the Coalition is enamoured and shocked that the Ad-hoc Committee did not take notice of the Federal Commissioners of Osun and Lagos ambushing Haruna Kolo when he arrived the premises of the National Assembly Complex and the threats, including inducement offered to the former disgruntled staff Haruna Kolo by the duo of Osun and Lagos states respectively.

These moves, the Coalition gathered, are aimed at influencing Kolo to go after the jugular of the FCC Chairperson. The Coalition also revealed that there was never a time that the relationship between an executive and a former staff had become so condescending to the level of the former, asking for cash transactions from the former protocol officer in whatever guise.

“We all know that, for any banking or PoS (Point of Sale) transaction, there must be an offer and acceptance, (i.e. there must be a receipt from any transaction), not to even mention the enormous funds involved,” the Coalition asserted.

It also continued: “Mr Haruna Kolo should produce all the receipts covering the transaction, including cash allegedly received by his former boss. This is because, there must be empirical evidence, so that the Ad-hoc Committee would not depend on mere hearsay: We believe there must be instructions to the later by his former boss either in documents or hard copy from Dr Dankaka to Haruna Kolo or vice-versa. This is to prove the veracity of Haruna Kolo’s claims against Dr Dankaka. It would further prove that the relation thus exists this far and official receipts also from the Point of Sales agent (PoS) to buttress the alleged facts at stake, instead of mere allegations and pointing of accusing fingers. It is not enough to merely assert that because the transfer of the huge sums of money was done through PoS, hence there is no documents to back up the claim.”

A press statement signed by the Coordinating Activist of the Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Activists, Comrade Ishaya Isa Saka and Spokesperson, Comrade Bamidele Akanbi, lampooned the manner the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee handled the issues thus far as “a calculated with-hunt deliberately orchestrated as if the Committee was only out to deal with Dr Dankaka in the midst of so many other MDAs that have been left in the lurch and the FCC singled out for these phantom dramas and fallacies.”

The Coalition continued, “In view of the foregoing, we therefore call on patriotic Nigerians, the Press and the entire members of the National Assembly (NASS), to disregard, discountenance these machinations in all ramifications. Let the Ad-hoc Committee in particular, or the National Assembly in general, not swallow these allegations line, hook and sinker. Already, a lot of damage has been done to the personality of Dr Dankaka, which has caused her trauma, psychological torture in the eyes of discerning Nigerians and her nucleus family.”

“Forcing her to swear on the Holy Quran with her photographs lavishly and prominently published by the press, alone is enough humiliation which should be stopped henceforth,” the Coalition avowed, adding that, “this is a calculated mischief carried too far to smear the Commission, in spite of the many infractions taking place on daily basis in other MDAs.”

The Coalition noted that “The huge sums of N38.5 million, as well as N75 million as proceeds of employment racketeering found in Kolo’s various accounts show that he is a real master-mind in consultation with the disgruntled few Federal Commissioners, and should face the wrath of the law by been arrested for when he came for the hearing. This is informed by the fact that he wilfully swindled innocent and unsuspecting Nigerians of their hard-earned money for a phantom and non-existent jobs. We earnestly yearn that Kolo should be arrested forthwith and forced to face the law for having such an amount in his accounts as a Public Servant, an action which is against the Service Financial Regulations and extant laws.”

The group has therefore posed these questions: “Why is the Federal Character Commission the main pre-occupation of the Ad-hoc Committee members, while they are supposed to be investigating other MDAs and Parastatals?” Again, “who has Dr Dankaka offended?” or “Who is afraid of her being in the saddle at the FCC?”

After a thorough investigation, the Coalition found out the following pertinent facts cannot be contradicted:

The investigation proved that Haruna Kolo has never been sighted at the residence of FCC Chairperson, Dr Dankaka.

That the speech read by Haruna Kolo when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Monday (August 7, 2023), was written for him by the Osun Commissioner who happens to be a Lawyer.

That on Haruna Kolo’s way into the Chambers, he was ambushed, ushered in, and teleguided on what to say to the Ad-hoc Committee.

That all the disgruntled and aggrieved Commissioners have special interest, because they have been those responsible for the racketeering when Dr Dankaka commissioned a disciplinary committee to look into the affairs of their underground dealings due to petitions from states and the Lagos Commissioner was involved.

The few aggrieved Commissioners are illiterates, that is why they are easily used by Osun and Lagos Commissioners.

Checks show that the letterheads used for their nefarious activities were letterheads used before Dr Dankaka assumed the mantle of leadership of the FCC. But immediately after she was on board, she changed the letterheads.

Haruna Kolo was a planted mole who had been in the FCC system for more than ten (10) years and the master-mind with few of his cohorts as racketeers/cabal.

Also, findings at the residence shows no one has ever seen or related with Haruna Kolo, even the security officers, comprising of the DSS (Department of State Services) and the Nigeria Police have never seen Haruna Kolo near the residence of Dr Dankaka for over four years they have been with her.

The Coalition has appealed to Nigerians to completely disregard these smear campaigns of calumny against Dr Dankaka’s person and called for support from Nigerian women, the youths and believers in good governance, to support Dr Dankaka in her efforts to rebrand the Commission.

In the period thereto, the Coalition asserted, “Through our painstaking investigation at the FCC, during Dr Dankaka’s rebranding efforts at the Commission, there was no recruitment of about 300 employees whatsoever nor any letters of appointment issued to such number of employees.”

The Coalition is therefore strongly convinced that Nigerians will attest that there was no advertisement in any Nigerian newspaper, nor were there any names published. All these so called figures, the Coalition came to understand, are in the imagination of the hallucinating Haruna Kolo, “who, in connivance with the Commissioners, are aggrieved and have an axe to grind with the Chairperson, and are ready to put the Commission in public ridicule and odium.”

“However, if there was any employment, it must have been carried out by the Federal Character Commission with Haruna Kolo, without the knowledge of Dr Dankaka,” the Coalition observed, using the old official letterheads of the Commission.“

From our investigations, no one has threatened the life of Haruna Kolo, because, he would have sought for the protection of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) or he would have written a letter to the authorities before now that his life was being threatened. Therefore, we refer to all of these as another figment of his imagination in a desperate bid to seek relevance. All the stories being peddled by Haruna are malicious lies, fallacies and fabrications laced with falsehood, but without documentary evidence,” the Coalition of CSOs asserted.

Also, “We have it on good authority that this mudslinging against the Commission is a calculated attempt by the Ad-hoc Committee, to discredit Dr Dankaka. Other conspirators include the Federal Commissioners and disgruntled staff, all these as part of the thick plot to bring Dr Dankaka to her knees, because of her avowed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and her repeated stance not to open the treasury of the FCC to these hawks.”

According to the Coalition: “We condemn these malicious attacks on Dr Dankaka’s personality, religion and for the fact that she is a woman with no godfather and support base. And, as such, the conspirators are unjustifiably planning to make her a scape-goat.”

The Coalition states categorically that “We will resist any attempted blackmail or campaign of calumny, religious and gender bias against Dr Dankaka and descend heavily on untold and unwarranted attacks,” adding that “These orchestrated mudsling and smear campaign lack merit and not backed by empirical evidence and should be discarded and discountenanced by all well-meaning Nigerians, for this is hogwash and fake news. Therefore, these same Commissioners have had cause to threaten Dr Dankaka severally, that they will deal with her if she does not succumb to their blackmail tactics.”

So long as the Coalition is concerned, “Nigerians should not be surprised about the involvement of all used as pawns against Dr Dankaka for pecuniary benefits and a mesh of porridge.”

“We are opposed to Dr Dankaka being forced to swear by the Holy Quran as a last resort to prove her innocence. Therefore, if justice must be seen to have been carried out or done, the former Protocol Officer should have been arrested by now and the disgruntled, non-patriotic Commissioners would have been suspended for exposing classified documents and leaking official secrets to the public, against the Oath of Secrecy,” said the Coalition.

The Coalition further stated that they condemn the “gestapo and gangster approach orchestrated by the honourable members, stopping the Chairperson from telling Nigerians, through the press, her own side of the story as well as not to address the Press, while she is presently undergoing savage media trial.”

Subsequent upon the foregoing, therefore, “We call on the House of Represenatives Ad-hoc Committee to tow the line of professionalism and stop this with-hunt and media trial of Dr Dankaka forthwith,” for “she has the right to protect her office against savages and hawks who are vehement to share the so-called National Cake among themselves,” the Coalition warned.