The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character, Idris Wase, has pledged his commitment to working towards ensuring that the composition of government agencies aligns with the principles of federal character, aimed at promoting national unity.
Wase conveyed this commitment during the inaugural meeting of the committee held in Abuja. He emphasized that the committee would be thorough in its oversight responsibilities to ensure the fair distribution of employment opportunities throughout the nation.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the committee is well-prepared, backed by sufficient legislative support, to carry out its essential duties effectively.
Wase also mentioned that the Federal Character Commission is scheduled to appear before the committee on Tuesday to provide an update on the extent to which the commission is adhering to the principle of equitable employment distribution across various sectors.
He said, “We will only do justice and continue to do the right thing. I want to say that we should take this as a priority. First, colleagues I want to refer you to section 14(3) of the Constitution, it says the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of it’s agencies.
“This is the main thrust of our committee and our function does not just end at the national level. This is where we have to start our work immediately. We want to believe maximally that by next week Tuesday, we should have another meeting with the Federal Character Commission,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
He added, “We have offices in all the states of Nigeria and they are supposed to be monitoring this particular section that I quoted. Unfortunately, not much is being done and that provision is in Section 14(4) which says, ‘The composition of the government of a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the federation.
“It means the function that the federal character is supposed to be doing is also to be concerned about how government businesses are carried out, how employments are carried out. This is the mandate that we must ensure this time around, that our various state offices carry out such and we will carry out our oversight on them effectively and efficiently.
Continuing, he pointed out, “I will also read to you the federal character as a commission, what they are expected to do for the nation, which we are supposed to oversight. Taken from the constitutional provisions that I just read, it says the federal character commission shall comprise the following members, a chairman, and one person to represent each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The chairman and members are to be appointed by the President, subject to the confirmation of the Senate.”
He pleaded with his colleagues to ensure that they do their best, believing that they are better equipped and capable of handling what is enshrined in the constitution.
“There is no time for us to go to bed, and there is no time for us to rest,” he stated.
