The Senate has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of violating the Federal Character Principle in their recruitment, appointments, and promotions.
In response, the Senate directed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to investigate alleged cases of imbalance in the public service.
The resolution followed the consideration of a motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector,” sponsored by Senator Osita Ngwu during plenary.
Leading the debate, Ngwu cited Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which prohibit the dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions. He expressed concerns that while recruitment opportunities are scarce, promotions are often based on years of service rather than merit, marginalizing certain regions.
He further noted that the lack of accountability in enforcing federal character principles has undermined fairness in the public sector, with senior-level appointments allegedly influenced by favoritism rather than competence.
Ngwu stressed that while the Federal Character Principle aims to ensure balanced representation across states, its poor implementation has negatively impacted institutional discipline, morale, and efficiency.
“The Federal Character Principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect Nigeria’s linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity,” he stated.
Ngwu listed several MDAs allegedly failing to comply with the principle, including NNPCL and its subsidiary, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), PENCOM, NDIC, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).
He lamented that despite legislative oversight powers granted by the Constitution and Senate Standing Orders, these institutions have consistently failed to adhere to federal character mandates, often bypassing regulations in their recruitment processes.
The Senate has tasked its committee with conducting a thorough investigation and ensuring compliance with constitutional provisions.
