The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has charged the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to wake up from its slumber, revolutionize and do new things, using its broad mandate as established by Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution (as amended).
Noting that the Commission has the constitutional power and capacity to strengthen unity and fairness in Nigeria, he tasked FCC to use its constitutional mandate to promote national unity and loyalty, rather than concentrate its efforts only on the public sector, especially in job recruitment.
“Our constitution is the supreme law of the land. And any law made by anybody, whether national or state assembly that is in conflict with the constitution is void. So, you people have a strong mandate from the supreme law of the land. I think you should help us build a new country. A country where we will not be talking about hatred because it is some of these perceptions that cannot even be separated from reality that breeds all the discontent and hate speeches we see.
“We must strive to unite our country. All these North and South, East and West, they are artificial geographical demarcations. One body that can unite our country is the FCC. As you are here now, you are no longer politicians.
“We count on your chairman that wherever she goes to fly the umbrella of justice, freedom and fair play. We need it for Nigerian workers. We need it for Nigerian people. If we distribute schools well, people will go to school in the areas where there are no schools now. The almajiris will get western education. When we educate people, we have liberated them from poverty and ignorance which breeds all these security issues all over”, Ngige said.
The Minister who said this when he received the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr. Muheeba Dankaka and other federal commissioners who paid him a courtesy visit in his office recently, further appealed to the commission to ensure equitable distribution of amenities, infrastructure and social services in the country.
Furthermore, the Minister lamented that some states in Nigeria employ foreign doctors and pay them five times higher than they pay their Nigerian counterparts. He warned that such preferential treatment given to foreigners by some states ahead of their Nigerian counterparts does not encourage national unity and loyalty.
“The constitution did not say that you do only cases in the public sector. There are areas we need you to look into, especially where the constitution is silent.
“We have cases where doctors are employed from Egypt, Cuba and Pakistan and they are paid five times what the Nigerian doctor will get if you convert the foreign exchange they use to pay them.
Ngige went on to task the FCC to persuade the state governments to open up and advertise those jobs they give to foreigners, so that Nigerians can fill the gap.
Also, the Minister blamed the economic situation in the country as the reason behind the worsening labour dispute issues in the country. He added that labour unions are now remembering agreements they signed with the previous administrations, some dating back to 2009 and even 2002.
“The President said we are alive to our responsibilities and we do not owe any worker salaries. The president is strong on that and that is why we have not retrenched anybody. He is also strong on the fact that government is a continuum.
“If they now remember that the previous administration owed them in 2009, we will not say no. We will say yes. But we will pay you based on our capacity to pay and ability to pay. Those allowances can be stretched and we pay you in tranches. That is what we have been doing with ASUU, NASU, and JOHESU.”
He also stated that the resident doctors who lamented nonpayment of salary were those illegally recruited by Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) without necessary approval.
“You people know the mandate for recruitment. The federal ministry involved will give approval, the office of the Head of Service of the Federation will give approval, Budget Office will give approval. These three approvals come to you in the Federal Character Commission for final approval and issuing of compliance letters. But in the case of these resident doctors, their letters were issued without any of these approvals.
“The CMDs who did that said they thought they could pay them through GFMIS platform, an ad hoc platform used for sundry expenses. Personnel costs have been removed from GFMIS. That is the problem. Every payment for personnel costs is done under IPPIS. But, now a waiver has been given. It will come to you in the FCC to give compliance certificate. We explained to them that it is not a one bus stop thing. It cannot be done in one day. They said no, we are going on strike. You go on strike to force government to regularize an irregularity? It is not done”, the Minister said.
The Minister also disclosed that the request for compliance letter would be sent to the FCC by the Federal Ministry of Health before the end of the week and urged the commission to give the request expeditious attention.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of FCC, Dankaka noted that the commission was established to promote the unity of the country and ensure a strong and indivisible nation, fostering a sense of belonging, fairness, equality and justice.
She said they have the mandate to ensure the fair distribution of infrastructure, amenities and social service, assuring that the commission under her would discharge its mandate in a manner to eschew the feeling of marginalization from any quarter of the country.
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