The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character, chaired by Idris Wase, has ordered the immediate suspension of the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Revenue Service following the failure of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran, to honour its invitation.
The resolution was reached at the committee’s meeting held on Wednesday, where lawmakers expressed strong displeasure over what they described as a deliberate disregard for legislative oversight.
Omidiran, who was expected to appear before the panel in person, was instead represented by the Secretary of the Commission, Muhammad Musa. Musa informed the committee that the FCC chairman was indisposed due to ill health.
However, the committee rejected the excuse, insisting that this was not the first time the Commission had failed to honour its invitation. Lawmakers also faulted the secretary for failing to present any formal documentation authorising him to represent the chairman.
The development heightened tensions during the session, with members stressing that compliance with parliamentary summons is not optional.
In its resolutions, the committee directed the FCC chairman to immediately write to the Nigeria Revenue Service, ordering the suspension of its ongoing recruitment exercise with immediate effect.
The panel also summoned Omidiran to appear personally before it next week to explain her repeated absence and to provide a comprehensive briefing on the Commission’s oversight of the recruitment process.
“The Committee expressed its displeasure and disappointment over the deliberate failure of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission to honour its invitation, despite a clear directive that she should appear in person,” the resolution stated.
Lawmakers further mandated the FCC to ensure strict compliance with the federal character principle as enshrined in Section 14(3) and the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The committee also directed the Commission to submit all correspondences exchanged between it and the Nigeria Revenue Service concerning the ongoing recruitment exercise.
According to the lawmakers, the documents are necessary to determine whether due process was followed and whether fairness, equity, and national spread were adhered to in the recruitment.
The committee warned that continued disregard for its directives could attract further legislative action, underscoring the National Assembly’s commitment to enforcing transparency and accountability in federal appointments.
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