I was asked to pay bribe for FCC job slots – Wabara

Former Senate President and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adolphus Wabara, has called for the sacking of the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Muheeba Dankaka, over corruption allegations.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH, the former Senate President shared his experience during a visit to the FCC, where he sought job placements for individuals in his constituency.

He revealed that he was informed that jobs were not available without a bribe.

“I physically went to the FCC, requesting two or three jobs for some people in my wards. You will not believe that up till now, nothing has been done for the simple reason that I have not dropped any money and that they cannot even ask me to drop money. But I found out from some people there that they wouldn’t give any job to my ward for free,” he stated.

This is not the first time such allegations of job racketeering have surfaced regarding the FCC.

During one of the House of Representatives Committee public hearings tasked with investigating job racketeering, 14 witnesses testified about paying money to a former Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System desk officer at the FCC, Haruna Kolo, for job placements.

Kolo, during an interrogation, admitted to collecting money from job seekers and claimed to have handed it over to Dankaka.

However, the committee investigating the matter led by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau) has yet to release its findings one year after, raising suspicions that the inquiry may have been suppressed.

 A source within the House of Representatives, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, indicated that substantial evidence was collected but went unaddressed due to the influence of those implicated.

Wabara criticised the APC-led government and the National Assembly for allegedly ignoring the matter bordering on corruption.

“Despite the serious allegations, nothing has been done. I expected the same swift action that was taken against Betta Edu (former minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation) to be applied here,” he said.

He accused the ruling party of failing to uphold its commitment to combat corruption, claiming that the current administration had seen a rise in corrupt practices.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the committee chairman, Gagdi, to react to the issue were unsuccessful as calls made to his mobile phone went unanswered.

He also did not respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, attempts to get the House of Representatives spokesman, Akin Rotimi, to speak on the matter proved abortive.

He did not respond to calls to his phones and a message to his WhatsApp.

In response to the allegations, an APC chieftain and former minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, demanded for thorough investigations.

He revealed that he had spoken with an FCC member who confirmed the claims of job racketeering.

Shittu emphasised the need for accountability, saying, “If the President acted quickly against Betta Edu, similar actions should be taken in this case. We must ensure that there are no selective investigations into corruption.”

He stated that there should be an urgent action to address the issues within the FCC and restore public confidence in the commission.

“This is not a political issue and not about our party, the APC, but about the need to do the right thing. People have accused this woman, and it is only through public investigation that we can certify that the woman was indeed a victim of blasphemy.

“So, I want to appeal to Mr President and the Senate President that something concrete should be done about it by way of proper investigation.”