Kehinde Akintola
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed through a Second Reading bill seeking to correct the current lopsided appointment of Chairman and Secretary of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and ensure adherence to the principles of federal character.
The private member bill sponsored by Hon. Unyime Idem seeks to amend FCC (Establishment, etc) Act, 2004 to make provisions for the appointment of the Chairman and Secretary from different regions to reflect the principles of federal character.
Recall that the Green Chamber had on the 16th of September 2021 after passing a motion on the lopsided appointments, mandated its Committee on Federal Character to address the concerns raised by the Parliament
ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari complies with the House resolution within four weeks.
Leading debate on the general principles of the proposed bill which scaled through the First Reading on the 15th of July, 2021, Hon. Idem explained that the bill seeks among other things to put in place a Legal framework and guide for the Presidential appointment of the two key positions of the Commission to be from the two regions of the Country.
“The Commission is primarily established with fundamental responsibility to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with the principles of the proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media and political posts at all levels of government.
“The Act makes distinct provisions for the Presidential appointment of the Chairman of the Commission in Section 2 (2) of the Act and another crucial appointment by the President for the position of the Secretary in Section 9 (1) (b) of the Act.
“This Bill seeks to amend the provision of the Act to reinstate the position that the two critical positions to be appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be expressly and mandatorily from each region of the Country for the effective running and administration of the objectives of setting up of the Commission.
“This Bill has an amendment of a Section of about two subsections which are vital and significant to the management and effective administration of the objectives of the Commission and equitable distribution of the key positions in the Commission:
“‘Section 9 Subsection (1) of the Principal Act is amended by adding paragraph (c) to the provisions therein as a new paragraph under subsection (1) to read as follows: 9 (1c). The President shall put into consideration in the appointment of the Secretary that the positions of the Secretary and the Chairman appointed for the Commission shall not be from the same region of the Country in compliance with the principles of Federal Character.’
“All the above amendments are imputed to strengthen the administration, organization and management of the Commission in line with best practices and global standards,” Hon. Idem noted.
While noting that Nigeria is a vast and diverse nation to which there should be equal representation of all the regions, the lawmaker argued that the Commission which “shoulders a huge responsibility of handling high volume of representation that requires the trust and confidence of the whole country.
“Having a regional representation would make the Commission equitable and efficient, thereby having a ripple effect on the developmental system of the country.”
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