THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Character Commission (FCC) have partnered to fight job racketeering and promote transparency in public service in Nigeria.
Consequently, the two organisations agreed to form a joint task force to achieve these goals.
The decisions were reached when the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, a senior advocate, paid a courtesy visit to the acting chairman of the FCC, Kayode Oladele, on Thursday, July 17, in Abuja.
According to the ICPC chairman, the visit reflects deep respect for the FCC and a strong interest in building strategic collaboration.
He said the FCC played a critical role in safeguarding fairness and national unity by ensuring equitable representation of all Nigeria’s diverse groups in public institutions, as enshrined in Section 14(3) and Section 153(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution.
Aliyu acknowledged that the FCC’s work was vital in ensuring that no segment of society is left behind in accessing federal opportunities.
He added that the ICPC’s mandate was to prevent, investigate, and prosecute corruption, as well as to educate the public and advise institutions on building systems that resist abuse, as spelt out in Section 6 of the ICPC Act.
“This is in line with Section 15(5) of the Constitution, which directs the Nigerian State to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.
“Both our institutions are united by a common goal: to protect fairness, integrity, and justice in public service. As part of this mandate, ICPC is currently investigating several cases of job racketeering, where public sector recruitment processes have been compromised for personal gain,” the ICPC boss stated.
He expressed concern that Nigerian youths were the primary victims of illegal recruitment schemes and backdoor appointments in public sector job placements. He noted that this exploitation not only violated due process and equity but also eroded hope and trust in institutions.
He cited a striking case where a senior official allegedly influenced recruitment in a federal agency, resulting in an imbalance in job allocations. He said the official’s geopolitical zone received 189 slots over two years, while the next closest zone received 94, and a particular state received 97 slots. This disparity, according to the chairman, undermines the federal character principle and the fight against corruption.
“This imbalance, driven by abuse of office, clearly undermines both the federal character principle and the fight against corruption. This reinforces the urgency of closer collaboration between ICPC and FCC,” he added.
He said the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), particularly Articles 5 and 36, required that institutions like the ICPC and FCC work together, share intelligence, strengthen systems, and coordinate national anti-corruption efforts.
He proposed the establishment of a joint task team or technical working group between ICPC and FCC to monitor recruitment patterns, investigate breaches of the federal character principle, prevent job racketeering, and protect the rights and future of young Nigerians.
Aliyu said collaboration between the two government agencies would serve as a model of institutional synergy.
The FCC Acting Chairman, Kayode Oladele, in his remark, welcomed the proposal and said it marked the first time both agencies were coming together to jointly tackle recruitment irregularities.
He said the FCC was committed to ensuring proportional representation of all groups in public service.
“The public often associates us only with employment. But we also work to ensure that development projects are evenly spread across the federation,” Oladele stated.
He revealed that the commission had set up a directorate to oversee the monitoring of infrastructure distribution in line with its broader mandate and assured the ICPC that the FCC was ready to work with it to sanitise the system and ensure compliance with the Federal Character principles.
He described job racketeering as a major concern and pledged that the FCC would support efforts to revive integrity and fairness in public sector recruitment.
A reporter with the ICIR
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