The House of Representatives has resolved to beam its searchlights on the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) over alleged lopsided employment and extra-budgetary expenditures.
Adopting a motion sponsored by Mr Ali Isa JC at plenary on Thursday, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Benjamin Kalu, the House resolved to look into the employment processes in the aforementioned agencies with a view to determining compliance with the Federal Character principles as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The Deputy Speaker explained that he would unveil members of the committee that would be mandated to probe the agencies within four weeks on Tuesday next week.
Isa JC, while moving the motion, claimed that staff recruitment processes in these agencies are marred by irregularities of favouritism and non-compliance with the Federal Character principles pursuant to Section 14(3) of the Constitution as amended.
He further alleged that the infractions extended to extra-budgetary expenditures by the agencies, with funds meant for statutory operations being used for non-statutory items in gross violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
He remarked that if the allegations of lopsided employment and extra-budgetary expenditures are true, the principles of fairness, equality, and transparency are violated, eroding public trust in critical institutions, reducing operational efficiency, and fostering a sense of marginalisation and hopelessness among sections of the Nigerian populace.
He contended that the alleged malpractices could undermine the capacity of the FIRS, the CAC, and the NDIC to effectively carry out their mandates, resulting in inefficiencies that may affect tax collection, corporate regulation, and the stability of Nigeria’s financial system.