A renewed drive for equity in public hiring and infrastructure distribution will take place on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, when the Nigerian Senate opens investigating hearings into the alleged misuse and poor application of the federal character concept by important government institutions.
Senator Allwell Heacho Onyesoh (Rivers East), chair of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, is leading the hearings, which will be held in the Equal Opportunities Hearing Room 211 in the Senate Building at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
This action comes after a proposal introduced by Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) in March and approved by the Senate unanimously. Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle was the subject of the motion, which denounced what it called widespread violations of Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The federal character standards are meant to guarantee fair representation of all regions and groups in national appointments and infrastructure projects, and some federal agencies have been charged with a “flagrant disregard” for them.
Among the organizations mentioned are the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
Other institutions include the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), and others.
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All designated Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have received formal invitations and requests for documentation, according to a statement released by Senator Onyesoh on Tuesday, May 6. Within three months, the Committee is expected to present its findings to the Senate, and the hearings are anticipated to last several weeks.
The Committee has also emphasized its aim to carry out an open and inclusive investigation by inviting the public to submit memoranda or pertinent information at the location or by email to clerk.scfciga.ng@gmail.com.
The hearings are anticipated to put the government’s adherence to the constitutional ideals of justice and national unity to the test at a time when concerns over imbalance and marginalization in federal appointments are mounting.
