Plans have been concluded by the National Assembly to provide stringent penalty for any government agency that flouts the Federal Character law in the country.
The Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Federal Character, Darlington Nwokocha, gave the hint at a workshop organized by the Committee on Financial Services of the Federal Character Commission.
According to Nwokocha: “We are working to amend necessary act to ensure stringent penalty for those that flout Federal Character.
“The existence penalty for the flouting of Federal Character principle is not stringent enough.”
In his keynote address, the Acting chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Dr. Shettima Bukar Abbas, said the alleged lopsided recruitment and appointment across Federal Government agencies in Nigeria will be investigated by the commission
Abbas said the application of Federal Character principle is an unavoidable product procured for the Nigerian people to cement cleavages and wide differences that have threatened the very basis of the nation’s existence.
He said: “The principle of Federal Character is applied for their engagement at the entry point so that everyone is given a sense of belonging, they will in due course of time have different performance levels and effectiveness under equally fair rating judgement.
“Generally, the inner values of people tend to influence their contribution to whatever endeavour they find themselves.
“It is therefore certain that application of Federal Character is an unavoidable product procured for Nigerian people to cement cleavages and wide differences that have threatened the very basis of nation’s existence.
“Therefore, Federal Character as an affirmative action demands that the policy be carried out fairly, equitably and transparently so as to redress and overcome whatever inequalities or perceived marginalization that necessitated the policy in the first instance.
“For this to happen, all hands must be on deck, hence such seminar and workshop as organized by the Financial Services Committee is of absolute necessity in order to redress or at least reduce the structural inequalities in our public service in the best interest of the nation.”