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‘We paid 3 million to secure our position in federal jobs’ Witnesses tell Reps

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Two applicants have confessed that they paid N3 million each to get jobs through proxies, at the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

The applicants identified as Abdulmalik Isah Ahmed and Ali Muhammad Yero confessed this to the ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives investigating the alleged job racketeering and abuse of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) by ministries, departments and agencies.

Leading Reporters gathered that a desk officer of the FCC, Haruna Kolo, had on Monday, August 7, told the committee that he received millions of naira from job-seekers on behalf of the chairman of the commission, Muheeba Dankaka.

Dankaka had sworn with the Quran that he neither received money from Kolo nor was she involved in job racketeering.

Narrating how they got FCC jobs, Ahmed said: “We learnt there was a recruitment in 2021 recruitment, each of the commissioners has candidates. After having the appointments, Mr Kolo promised us postings in two months’ time.

“So, we came through Kolo, through this means of paying money and he promised us that since he had others to go with our batch.

“I got to know Kolo through the driver of the Taraba Commissioner.

“I transferred a million Naira to Kolo’s account on the arrangement because I was told that, the monthly pay is about N140,000 or N130,000. So, we agreed on N1.5m with the driver first. We bargained with the driver on behalf of Kolo. His name is Yusha’u Gambo”

Also speaking, Yero said his two brothers paid N2m in instalments to secure the job for him.

“My brothers, Nurudeen Yero and Abdulrazak Yero, paid the sum of N2m Naira to Badamasi Yaro’s account on the 2nd of August 2022. Badamasi Yaro is working with Haruna Kolo and the money paid into his account was for a job at Federal Character Commission.

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Job racketeering: former federal character commission’s staff admits taking bribe, indicts chairman

by Andrew Mailafia
written by Andrew Mailafia

A former Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System desk officer at the Federal Character Commission, Haruna Kolo, accused of collecting bribes from job seekers in exchange for employment has owned up to the allegation.

Noting that he received over N75m from desperate jobseekers on the instructions of the Chairman of the FCC, Kolo claimed that the FCC boss instructed him to transfer the money to his (Kolo) personal account and pay her in cash which he did a couple of times in her house

Disclosing the revelation at the ongoing investigative hearing by the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating federal ministries, departments and agencies, parastatals and tertiary institutions on mismanagement of the IPPIS, the ex-IPPIS desk officer told the lawmakers that he resigned from FCC on November 2, 2022 to join the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria but ended up getting salaries twice from FCC.

He added that the anomaly was reported to the Human Resource Officer who told him that the issue would be addressed.

He said, “When she came to FCC as the Executive Chairman, she appointed me as a protocol officer and I carried out my duty diligently.

On the allegations of job racketeering, the FCC Chairman instructed me to liaise with one Mr Shehu, who is a personal driver and Personal Assistant to the Taraba State Commissioner. As a desk officer, I was responsible to take whoever was employed to IPPIS for capturing.

No one could go there without a letter from the Chairman or Human Resource Officer of the FCC.

“When she came, she wrote a letter to the Accountant General of the Federation, instructing that no letter from the FCC should be honoured except she signs the letter.

So, whenever there was new employment, she signs, gives to me and I take it to the Accountant General’s office for capturing.

“Shehu is the one that brought those who paid money to my account for job, some paid N1m, others N1.5m, all to my personal account, my Ecobank account. She asked me to give cash to her, which I did through POS. So, there is no evidence of transfer.

“On the allegation of working at seven places, I was never at any time involved in seven jobs. They are making the allegation based on assumption.” He stated.,

“The second allegation on my subsequent employment at AMCON was a result of her personal favour to me. We were four in number, and she gave the appointment letter to me, Kadijah, and Olushola.

“We all proceeded for an interview at AMCON headquarters in Abuja after which we were called upon for training on the 16th January 2023.

“After the training, Olushola and I were called to Lagos. Unfortunately, Kadijah, who is the chairman’s biological sister, was rejected. The Chairman accused me of being responsible for her rejection.

“I see no reason why (sic) the chairperson would make allegations of such magnitude against me. I have been threatened even at gunpoint and had to leave Abuja.

“Sir, I want this committee to know that after this sitting if anything happens to me, the FCC chairperson should be held responsible, ” Kolo added.

Responding, the chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, promised to do every possible to unravel the truth and make the same available to Nigerians.

“This committee will not sit down and watch taxpayers’ money being embezzled.

“I know why we were asking Kolo to give us evidence and we know why we were deferring this sitting for other witnesses alleged to have had financial dealings with the FCC.

“Kolo will appear here tomorrow (Tuesday). We are calling the other witnesses. We will allow you to do your work. Whoever is found wanting will answer his father’s name, including Kolo Haruna,” he said.

The committee adjourned sitting till Tuesday, August 8.

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Holy Thief: Isah Pantami Stinks Of Corruption, Nepotism and Religiosity: His Digital Economy A Hoax

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Sheikh Isah Pantami is one of the holier than thou political appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari who hides under the umbrella of religious titles to commit atrocious acts such as diversion of public funds, and nepotism.

Those who know him well will readily tell you that Sheikh Pantami is an eye-servant, holier-than-thou heck of a political appointee who thrives on rubbishing the hard earned reputation of others. From National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA to the current Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, the story has been that of one-sidedness in appointment, highhandedness, corruption, and self-praises without any glaring achievements.

At NITDA, Pantami created every opportunity to steal from the coffers of the agency.  That includes collecting a sum of N20m with which he claimed to have used to bring in personal car from Saudi Arabia where he lived prior to his appointment, to Nigeria.

The said car was the car he used in Saudi Arabia before coming to Nigeria. Insider information revealed that the N20million was never used to bring in any car from Saudi Arabia. Rather than returning the money, he began to victimize workers who he believed were responsible for the public knowledge of that atrocious act.

Our investigation further revealed that Pantami, before being appointed  Minister of Communication and Digital Economy leveraged on his position as the then DG of NITDA and struck a deal with telecommunication companies, especially the GSM operators to shortchange the government by giving them waiver from the statutory remittances they should make to the Federal Government. These companies have consistently posted profits and have not at any point posted loss that should suggest availing them waiver.

Another blunder by Pantami is his inability to get ICT incubating centers across all the states functional despite, funds voted for the project, including those from donor agencies.  Sheikh Pantama thrives in stirring noises about what he can do and not what he has done. The digital economy is still a long dream that has not contributed anything to the coffers despite plunging hundreds of millions of Naira of tax payers’ money into the project.  Recall that under Pantami, the ministry of Communication was changed to Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy after convincing the Federal Government that he was going to use the ministry and ICT to drive economic growth just like India and USA. A check on the economy will reveal that under Pantami, revenue from the ministry and its agencies have rather plunged. 

The Technology Village in Abuja which Pantami taunted so much about is still one of his white elephant projects with which he deceives Federal Government into believing that he has the capacity to create a huge economy from ICT.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Pantami is using his offices as a conduit to amass as much money as much as he can to prosecute his political ambition. An insider informant said that Pantami is gunning for governorship election come 2023 in Gombe State. To keep the money coming from NITDA, Pantami convinced the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint his former Personal Assistant Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi as the current DG/CEO of NITDA.

Our investigation further revealed that Pantami has usurped the powers of all the DGs in all the agencies under Ministry of Communication and digital economy by centralizing all contract awards on his desk.  This is to enable him choose who to award contract to and who not to award contract to. Pantami is currently the one awarding contracts in all the agencies his ministry is supervising.

In our next publication, we will reveal to you how Pantami employed about 90 staff in NITDA, with over 50% coming from his home State and religion and another 25% from from Northern Region without approval from Federal Character Commission.  Recall that Pantami dismissed staffs that were employed by his predecessor, describing the processes as lacking in merit, only for him to do worse that the evil he accused his predecessor of.  The dismissed workers dragged Pantami to court and the case is currently in Appeal Court now. Stay tuned

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