. Victims of job racketeering confess paying millions into ex-FCC officer’s account
About 35 Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday, in Abuja, failed to appear before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating alleged job racketeering.
Chairman of the committee probing employment racketeering and gross mismanagement of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Yusuf Gagdi, said: “Most of these agencies are not respectful of constituted authority.
“We are supposed to have the presence of 40 agencies, but only four are here.”
The Chairman also read the riot act against some of the agencies earlier told to provide staff to serve as desk officers in the committee in a bid to provide necessary information when requested but failed.
Mr Gagdi had earlier asked the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Budget Office, IPPIS and the Federal Character Commission (FCC), to provide the desk officer that would be in the committee to give requisite information.
After the agencies failed to provide the desk officers, the committee chairman ordered that their directors should henceforth come to provide the information needed instead of the desk officers.
“If the desk officers of the head of service, budget office, and IPPIS are not here, then we should summon their directors to come and sit here so we can do the work together,” he said.
Five agencies that appeared before the committee are the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, the National Teachers Institute, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, among others.
Mr Gagdi berated agencies for applying for a waiver for the recruitment without advertising the same, adding that such were usually used to perpetrate fraud.
He noted that instead of engaging 100 staff as stipulated by the law guiding waiver on recruitment, some agencies recruited as many as 150, going beyond the limit.
While answering questions on recruitment, Josiah Ajiboye, the Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, said in 2018, 122 people had been recruited since he became the registrar in 2016.
“We got approval to recruit 122 with budget approval and waiver from the Head of Service of the Federation,” he said.
Paulinus Chijioke, Registrar of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, said the total strength of the Commission was 280. He sought approval to employ more staff.
We cannot cry like you, but our hearts bleed for this country. We are going to do justice for you, we are not here to witch-hunt anybody.
Paying for jobs
Meanwhile, Andulamalik Ahmed and Ali Yaro, both victims of alleged job racketeering at the FCC, say they paid N1 million and N2 million, respectively, for placement in the Commission.
Messrs Ahmed and Yaro disclosed this when they appeared as witnesses at the ongoing Committee investigation.
Specifically, Ahmed, an indigene of Adamawa, said he met the driver of the Commissioner representing Taraba, Yisha’u Gambo, who promised to get him a job in the FCC on the condition that he paid the sum of N1 million.
He, however, said he refused to pay the money to Mr Yisha’u because he was an ordinary driver.
“It was Yisha’u who introduced Harunu Kolo, a former staff of the FCC and the desk officer of IPPIS in the Commission.
“I paid N1 million into Kolo’s account when I confirmed that he was a staff of the Commission; I refused to pay to the driver for security reasons.
“I transferred N1 million to Kolo’s account. We initially agreed on N1.5 million with Gambo, a driver to the Commissioner, representing Taraba.”
He said 27 of them were issued appointment letters after having paid the requested money, adding that although appointment letters were issued, they were not posted to any designated MDAs.
“The Head of Human Resources at FCC confirmed to us that our appointments were genuine before they cleverly took it from us. I was engaged for two years before I was disengaged without posting.”
He said, contrary to information by the FCC that there had been no recruitment since 2017, there was recruitment in 2021, and all the commissioners had a hand in the recruitment exercise.
“Kolo convinced me to pay so that our employment can come after that of the directors and the commissioners.”
Mr Ahmed, who betrayed emotion, begged the committee to help him get his job back, adding that he was not satisfied with receiving a salary without doing the required job.
On the other hand, Mr Yaro, another witness from Borno, said he was made to pay N2 million to secure a job in the FCC.
“I paid N2 million into Badamasi Jalo’s account, another victim, but acting as an agent for the collection of monies for Kolo.
“Kolo and Badamasi both assured me that I will get appointment letter in January,” he said, adding that he was captured on IPPIS on August 5, 2021, but never got placement.
“I graduated 11 years ago, and I had a chance to become Boko Haram, but I refused because I wanted to be a good citizen,” he said.
Accordingly, the chairman of the committee, Gagdi, said the testimonies from the two victims should encourage all Nigerians who have been shortchanged to appear.
“I am very happy that you said you had the offer to become a Boko Haram member but refused.
“We cannot cry like you, but our hearts bleed for this country. We are going to do justice for you, we are not here to witch-hunt anybody.
“You have told us who you gave money to. We will invite you again for a closed-door meeting with the other 27 victims,” he said.
Mr Gagdi re-invited Mr Kolo to again appear before the committee on Wednesday by 10 a.m.
He also summoned the driver to the Taraba commissioner and the secretary to appear before the committee. (NAN)
