…Insist on her removal over impunity, abuse of office
Commissioners of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and other senior members of staff have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, in the interest of accountability, remove the Commission’s Chairman, Dr Muheeba Dankaka, without further delay.
The commissioners said the call was premised on the fact the FCC boss has, by her actions and inactions, encouraged irregularities in the conduct of the affairs of the Commission.
They also alleged that retention of Dr Dankaka would amount to empowering her to continue the ‘anti-constitutional rule, impunity and other offenses against the laws of the Federation’.
In the petition, a copy of which was made available to Blueprint Weekend, the commissioners accused the chairman of non-adherence with the constitution, Act, rules, and regulations of the commission and noted she issues compliance certificates and waivers without due approval of the committee /plenary as required by law.
According to them, this was a gross violation of the constitution which requires the chairman to implement the decisions of the Commissioners, just as they lamented that she does not allow them to do their work.
They further alleged in the petition, among other violations, that Dr Dankaka has failed to render the account of the commission in the past three years and accused her of singularly preparing the budget of the commission and spending the same alone without due process.
The act, according to them, was not only fraudulent but has had negative consequences in the development of physical structures both at the headquarters and states’ offices.
The aggrieved commissioners also accused the chairman of not allowing the commission’s committees to distribute vacancies declared in the ministries, departments and agencies to reflect federal character.
The petitioners also alleged that the usurpation of the commissioners function has increased lopsidedness and suppression in the national job distribution, with the likely implication of creating serious future crises of national agitation across the nation.
“Dankaka lacks understanding, knowledge, experience, and patriotism for the job. She is high headed. She has no immunity and should be brought to book now to preserve the sanity of our nation, corporate existence, and constitutional orderliness.
”We believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to right the wrongs and bring constitutional orderliness to the commission by subjecting the actor in the saga to book, the chairman of the commission, Muheebah Dankaka,” they said.
They appealed to Mr. President Tinubu to safeguard the commission against further negative impression about it and men and women of integrity working therein.
”This administration is not expected to do less in installing constitutional orderliness. The renewed hope is about doing things in a better, more productive, and patriotic way off corruption and corrupt tendencies, a simple challenge expected from this administration to address.
“Let Federal Character Commission do the needful, and operate constitutionally off the impunity of Chairman Muheebah Dankaka for the betterment of our nation,” they pleaded.
Meanwhile, in swift reaction, the Chairman’s spokesman, Dr Chuks Okolie, rebutted the accusations and claims noting that the commission’s boss had thoroughly responded to the issues raised by the disgruntled commissioners in writing which was presented to the House of Representatives panel investigating the allegations of job racketeering levelled against her.
He said based on the advice of the panel that all parties should desist from going to the press on the matter until the completion of its investigation, the chairman has opted to not join issues with the complainants, stressing that Dr Dankaka as a law-abiding citizen remains committed to her objective of rendering wholesome services to nation in her capacity as the executive chairman of the FCC.
