The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to prevent lopsidedness in the appointment of persons as Chairman and Secretary of the Federal Character Commission.
When the bill proposal becomes law, it will make it impossible for the chairman and secretary of the FCC to come from the two regions (North and South) of the country.
The legislation is titled, ‘An Act to amend the Federal Character Commission (Establishment, Etc) Act, Cap F7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to make provisions for the appointment of the chairman and secretary from different regions of the country to reflect the principles of Federal Character.’
The sponsor, Unyime Idem, who is representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, while leading the debate on the bill, recalled that the legislation was read for the first time on July 15, 2021.
He said, “This bill seeks to amend the provision of the Act, to reinstate the position that the two critical positions to be appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be expressly and mandatorily from each region of the country for the effective running and administration of the objectives of setting up of the commission.”
The lawmaker noted that the FCC was primarily established with the fundamental responsibility to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with the principles of proportional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media, and political posts at all levels of government.
The lawmaker, therefore, proposed an amendment to Section 9(1) of the Act by adding a new paragraph (c) to the provisions, which read, “The President shall put into consideration in the appointment of the secretary that the positions of the secretary and the chairman appointed for the commission shall not be from the same region of the country in compliance with the principles of Federal Character.”
