FCC commissioner rejects Chairman's letter for not appearing before Reps probe panel

Mr. Moses Anaughe, Federal Commissioner, Federal Character Commission (FCC), representing Delta, has countered its chairman, Mrs. Farida Dankaka’s letter, stating why she could not appear before the House of Representatives probe panel on employment racketeering.

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Dankaka, in a letter she wrote to the ad hoc committee investigating Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Tertiary Institutions on the mismanagement of personnel recruitment in Abuja, claimed she was scheduled to see her Doctor.

The ad hoc Committee is also investigating employment racketeering and gross mismanagement at IPPIS.

The letter was read by the Commissioner, representing Taraba, stating that she had a medical appointment with her Doctor

But in a swift reaction to the letter, Anaughe said the chairman was in the office at the time of reading the letter about her purported ill-health.

“Distinguished honourable members, I want to inform this House that the FCC Chairman as we speak is in her office; this has been her usual way of dodging committee invitations.

”I just want you people to know that, as we speak right now, if you send somebody there now, they may call her or send her a message, and she will run.

“This has been her usual practise because if FCC has done very well, this issue of inviting other commissions and agency will not arise because the bulk of this investigation lie with the FCC, I just want this committee to know

“And if I may request, she is in her office as we speak; she knows the duration of this committee, which is why she is asking for a one-week extension. I just want this honourable house to get this information.

“And I want to stress that this is the usual character of Dankaka, the chairman of the FCC, of abstaining from every committee that invited her.

“If she wants to collect 10 percent of employment from any chief executive officer of MDAs, she will insist that such a chief executive meet such a person one on one, so why is she not here?” he queried.

He pleaded with the committee to ensure that Dankaka appeared before it to explain her stewardship for the three years she had been in the saddle.

Angered by the information, the chairman of the Committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, dared the FCC Chairman to test the will of the committee, adding that the aftermath of her refusal to appear before the committee would not be pleasant.

He ordered Dankaka to appear before the committee with the entire commissioners by 12 p.m. on July 26, describing the commissioners as liars.

Not satisfied with the name-calling, Mr. Tonye Okio, FCC commissioner, representing Bayelsa, said, “I take exception to you calling us liars. There is adocument from our chairman, which she signed, stating that she had an appointment with her Doctor today.

The committee, however, recommended that the Department of State Security provide every investigation linked to the chairman of FCC

The committee also resolved that the president should take action against any heads of MDAs that are taking tax payers money for granted.

Reacting to the development, Anaughe said, ”As soon as I made that information, somebody among us called her; she left the office immediately, and what I am saying now, MTN can prove where she was when I made the statement.

“I want to tell this committee that all commissioners in the FCC are in Abuja, and we are ready to come before this committee tomorrow,” he said.

Anaughe’s disclosure is against the backdrop of information provided by one of the commissioners supporting the chairman that some commissioners were outside Abuja.

Mr. AbdulRasaq Abioye, FCC, Commissioner, representing Osun, however, said that as of 12 p.m. when he left the office, the chairman was still at the office.

Gagdi, however, was sad that no matter where any commissioners were, they must be present by 11 a. m. at the investigative hearing, including the chairman of the FCC.