The Senate has directed its Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters to investigate alleged lopsided recruitment and deployment by the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC).

This followed the adoption of a motion on “Urgent need to ensure federal character principle in the FCSC ” sponsored by Senator Titus Zam (APC’Benue) at plenary on Tuesday.

Presenting the motion, Mr Zam said the FCSC was established to recruit and deploy officers with requisite qualifications into the federal civil service.

He said the commission had deviated from the federal character principle that ensured equity and fairness to all parts of the country.

The lawmaker said the major platform on which the commission sought to realise its vision of building a highly focused, disciplined, committed and patriotic civil service had turned counter-productive as it favoured only certain groups in the country.

He said this was not consistent with the commission’s vision as widely reported on recent allegations of illegal recruitment or employment by the service.

Mr Zam said the debilitating syndrome had so permeated government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying virtually no ministry seemed insulated from the ugly trend.

He said the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, had told journalists in July, ahead of the 2023 Civil Service Week, that the federal government discovered 1,618 civil servants with fake employment letters.

Mr Zam said the Benue North-West senatorial district had been marginalised, shortchanged and neglected in the employment into the federal civil service, hence, he sponsored the motion.

“Further recalls that in December 2021, a particular ministry of the federal government alone weeded out a total of 1,020 of such illegally employed staff with over 300 employment letters further sent to be authenticated by the Federal Civil Service Commission.

“Strongly argues that the mere removal of such names from payroll without prosecution will not deter those corruptly feasting from this exercise at the expense of a virile civil service backed up by a sound and foolproof IPPIS.

“Convinced that if urgent action is not taken to ensure Federal Character Principle and curb lopsidedness, will weaken the cohesion of the Civil Service with its attendant damage to governance and service delivery,” he said. 

(NAN)