IPPIS fraud: Reps committee vows to order arrest of erring MDAs, berates NIS, others
The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating alleged job racketeering and mismanagement of IPPIS by federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) has threatened to invoke the provisions of the constitution to compel heads of MDAs to appear before it.
In a statement issued on Saturday, August 26, the chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi accused the heads of MDAs of frustrating the work of the committee aimed at correcting imbalances in the public service of the federation.
Gagdi said that the committee would not accept deliberate attempt by the affected MDAs to frustrate the noble assignment of the panel, describing the refusal to appear as deliberate.
Gagdi said the House of Representatives would not hesitate to invoke its legislative powers to ensure the affected MDAs comply with the invitations of the committee.
He said: “Recall, the newspapers publications in This Day Newspaper, Leadership Newspaper, Nigerian Tribune Newspaper and Daily Trust Newspaper respectively on Monday, 24th July 2023 and Thursday, July 27th, July 2023, and the invitation/hearing notices sent to your offices to cause appearance where the Committee requested that you avail it with relevant information relating to the above referenced subject.
“However, to the committee’s utmost dismay its request was disregarded. This action is considered as contempt of the Legislature.
“Consequently and pursuant to Sections 62, 88 and 89 (1){a}{b}{c} of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), as well as the House Standing Order 18A,Rule 9, the following MDA’s are required to comply with the publication and forward the information listed (i – x) below in a Flash Drive One (1) soft copy (Excel Format) and Forty (40) hard copies typed double spaced, and addressed to the Chairman should be submitted to Suite 0.01 or Conference Room – 034 Ground Floor New Building, House of Representatives, National Assembly Complex, Abuja and cause appearance as scheduled below.”
He said the affected ministries which details have already been published in the national dailies are to unfailingly appear before the committee within the stipulated scheduled dates.
According to the statement, the affected MDAs are to appear before the committee between Thursday, August 24, 2023 and Thursday, August 31, 2023 and must be represented by the Chief Executive Officers.
Gagdi said the affected Heads of MDAs are to appear before the committee at Conference Room 0.34, New Building, House of Representatives Wing, National Assembly Complex, Abuja by 10am each day.
He said: “Please note that failure to comply with the above request/invitation, the Committee will invoke the provisions of Section 89(1, d)(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and Section 4 of the Legislative Houses (Powers & Privileges) Act, to compel compliance.”
Meanwhile, the committee also accused the management of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) and the National Office for Technology Innovation and Aquisition of lopsided appointment of personnel to the disadvantage of other states.
Gagdi said at the resume hearing of the committee that the recruitment carried out by the two agencies did not reflect federal character.
The director general of NIS, Prof. Olawale Moronkola had told the committee that they waivered to employ 22 staff during their last recruitment exercise.
But the Gagdi questioned why six of the 22 staff employed were from his home state of Oyo, when the positions was supposed to have been spread to the 36 states and the FCT, or shared to the six geopolitical zones.
The committee, however, asked the institute to provide a detailed analysis of the state representation of workers in the institute and how it plan to address the imbalance in employment.
However, the sirector general of the National Institute of Technology Acquisition and Innovation, Dr. Danazunmi Ibrahim told the committee that the institute has already put in place, plans to address the imbalance in its employment.
He said the Federal Character Commission has already drawn its attention to the imbalance in its staff representation and ask them to correct it.
He said: “we are aware that some states like Bayelsa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Yobe and a few others have no representation in the agency. We already plan on how to address that.”
He said the institute required more than 30 senior staff to be employed, but got approval for only 23, adding that between 2015 till date, the institute have employed only 45 staff.
While nothing that the challenges are documented, he pleaded for the committee’s assistance as the institute have an establishment position of close to 300 staff members of staff.
He said: “And in 2020 we were able to get financial provision to employ, when we started the process covid came, then a circular was issued that we had to hold on and at the end of the year the whole money left. It tool us almost 3 years to be able to get this fund to start the employment process, so we had to come back to ‘square one’.
“And up till now, staff are going the younger ones are not coming up, the older ones are going. So there is a serious issue of succession challenge in the office, we feel the committee may be able to assist us. But currently we have an approved establishment from the Head of Service to employ 90 staff and we are in the process to see how we get the waivers and necessary funding”. Nation
