………some states reportedly schemed out
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has ordered a probe to allegations lopsided recruitments going on at the transition Company of Nigeria [TCN]. There are complaints of marginalization of some states in the ongoing employment process of the TCN.
The House yesterday unanimously adopted a motion brought before it by Hon Preye Oseke during Wednesday plenary on the subject matter and resolved to have officials of government agency face scrutiny over the allegations.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is the government regulatory agency that manages the electricity transmission network in Nigeria. It is one of the 18 companies that was unbundled from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in April 2004 and is a product of a merger of the transmission and system operations parts of PHCN.
The House mandated the committees on Federal Character and Public Service matters, to invite the head of service of the federation and the managing director of TCN to explain the rationale for the marginalization of some states in the ongoing recruitment exercise.
According to Rep Preye Oseke, the TCN is in the process of concluding a recruitment exercise in which over 400 applicants have been favourably considered.
He said only a few of such successful applicants are from Bayelsa, despite the fact that there are many eligible qualified applicants from the state.
The lawmaker said that considering the youths’ restiveness on account of mass unemployment, such acts of alleged bias and uneven distribution of opportunities could negatively impact unethical conduct perpetrated by youths of the state.
His motion reads “Concerned that the disequilibrium of the opportunities skewed against Bayelsa is not only discriminatory but amounts to a clear breach of sections 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution on the application of the federal character principle.
“Aware that section 318(1) of the 1999 Constitution defines Federal Character as ‘the distinctive desire of the people of Nigeria to promote national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen of Nigeria a sense of belonging to the nation as expressed in section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution, which means that beyond the constitutional imperative to comply with the Constitution is the utilitarian value of fairness and justice;
“Worried that the continued marginalisation and discrimination of the people of Bayelsa in previous and ongoing recruitment exercises by agencies of government is a potential cause for disaffection among the teeming unemployed youths in the State who desire gainful employment,”
Amending the motion, Rep. Nkem Abonta (PDP-Abia) said besides Bayelsa, Abia among others was also affected. He urged the House to equally make a case for all other states of the federation that have been marginalized.
Ruling on the motion, the House mandated the Committees to invite the management of the TCN to explain alleged irregularities in the employment process of the agency.
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