The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing the alleged job racketeering and gross mismanagement in federal ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) on Thursday quizzed heads of some of the federal parastatals over lopsided employment.
Speaking during the investigative hearing of some of the agencies invited by the Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi mandated management of National Institute for Sport (NIS) to provide the nominal analysis of staff representation and reappear on Monday for further interrogation.
Hon. Gagdi questioned the Institute Director General on why Oyo State, where he came from, recruited six staff from the 22 recruitment slots meant for the 36 States of the federation.
Earlier, Director General of the National Sports Institute, Professor Olawale Moronkola, while making his presentation said in 2023 the Institute recruited 22 staff.
According to Professor Moronkola, as of 2015 “we have a staff strength of 137. In 2023 our staff strength now is 151, in 2017 we recruited 7, in 2019 we recruited 20 and in 2023 we recruited 23.
Meanwhile, Director General of National Institute of Technology Acquisition and Innovation (NITAI), Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim who also appeared at the hearing while defending recruitment so far said in 2018, it was given approval based on the number of personnel required.
Dr. Ibrahim said the institute required more than 30 senior staff to be employed but at the end of it only 23 approval was given to it.
The waiver of that approval and names of the staff, state and local government, where they come from were all contained in the document submitted to the committee, he said.
He said between 2015 till date, the institute has employed only 45 staff.
While noting that the challenges are documented, he pleaded for the committee’s assistance as the institute has an establishment position of close to 300 staff members.
“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 took 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.”
The Gagdi led Ad-hoc Committee said it is interested in helping agencies fill the available vacancies and is equally interested in making agencies do the needful in line with the principles of federal character.
“Whatever interaction we are going to have today is to identify gaps from your side in terms of federal character balancing and other related institutional defects. So that going forward we will be able to know when to advise you and how to assist you in that regard.”
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