Commission accuses NDDC of flouting employment rules

CITING breach, the Federal Character Commission (FCC) has queried the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over its on-going recruitment without recourse to the commission as provided for by law.

The recruitments, reportedly being done without laid down procedure have to do with legal, engineering and allied professionals.

A statement by the FCC made available to The Guardian in Abuja at the weekend also frowned at a situation where provisions of the FCC in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which state clearly that lists of persons meant for recruitment should be forwarded to the commission before interview are conducted, are now being violated with impunity.

Maintaining that the trend was a dangerous one, the FCC quoted from its letter to the NDDC dated May 9, 2012 and made available to The Guardian, thus: “The mandate of the NDDC, which currently covers nine states of the federation is interventionist, to help speed up development in the region. But when it comes to recruitment, all 36 states of the federation have a stake in accordance with the law setting up the NDDC. There cannot be secret recruitment. Advertisement of jobs is not the only criterion through which the provision of the law can be met”.

Drawing attention of the NDDC to a meeting held at the FCC Headquarters in Abuja on March 15 this year, the FCC’s letter signed by its director, legal and prosecution, M.O. Odusanya, also referred to the need to comply with the provisions of substantive circular Ref: FCC/CHM/S .18/1 dated November 1, 2011, which deals with workers’ recruitment exercise.

Making reference to the enabling Act, the guiding principles and formulae for equitable distribution of posts in the public service; and extant circulars, the letter reads in part: “With specific reference to your advertisements for various vacant positions, the meeting emphasised the need for your (NDDC) management to forward to the commission the long and short lists of applicants and to invite the commission to monitor the selection tests/recruitment interviews”.

“From our records, the workers’ distribution pattern of your agency is at the moment heavily tilted in favour of the indigenes of a few states of the federation to the detriment of the overwhelming majority of others. This is a clear violation of the provisions of both the constitution and the Federal Character Commission’s enabling Act. ...”, it added.