House of Representatives has resolved to beam searchlight on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over alleged employment racketeering and mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The resolution followed adoption of a motion by Oluwole Oke at a session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate various MDAs, parastatals and tertiary institutions on the issues.
The committee is expected to report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
Oke claimed the process of recruitment and payment of civil servants and public officers is fraught with corruption, noting that public institutions have since stopped advertising for jobs and vacancies.
The Osun-born lawmaker said, even in few instances where adverts are published, slots are already filled by highest bidders.
He said: “Most public institutions now sell employment positions, notwithstanding qualification of the applicant and ability of the applicant to perform optimally on the job. This poses a major risk and has constituted itself into a channel for underperformance in public service. Historically and specifically, since 1960 the 1990s, Nigeria boasted of one of the best crops of public servants in the world, and service delivery was at the highest level of professionalism.”
He added: “However, this situation has since changed, largely because of the method of recruitment and quality of recruitment into these public institutions, which are driven by fraud, abuse, corruption and pecuniary considerations.
“Despite decay occasioned by the above, Federal Government had tried to address other abuses within the system, particularly, the menace of ghost workers, which necessitated introduction of the IPPIS to help fish out the large number of ghost workers.
“As things stand now, the Federal Government is not getting value for money; rather it is losing in quality, quantity and substance.”
