DANKAKA AND LEADERSHIP AT THE FCC

When the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria confirmed Dr. Muheeba Dankaka as the chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) it ushered in a new era at the commission. Having been part of a 38-man list submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari for appointment into the commission, Dankaka, a native of Offa, Kwara State, was confirmed on merit.

However, the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the second principal officer of the commission raised some eyebrows as Mohammed Tukur Bello is from Taraba State, also in the north. This was perceived by many cynics to be a non-application of the principles of federal character.

But only six months into her appointment as the chairperson of the commission, Dankaka proved the cynics wrong notably through the centralisation of the administrative structures of the monitoring and enforcement department.

Second, the achievements so far recorded by the chairman appeared to be unsettling some who are not happy with her strides, as some commissioners within the commission petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), this time, accusing her offences relating to the abuse of office. It should be noted that prior to her appointment as head of FCC, Dankaka was the immediate past president of the Kaduna Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, an endeavour she undertook meritoriously. She was far from controversy when she was the head of affairs at KADCCIMA. This got many wondering and talking as what could have happened to a trusted entrepreneur who got a national award for her contributions to the National economy while outside the government employment. She was conferred with the of Order of the Niger (OON) by President Buhari for her contributions to the Nigerian economy, as an entrepreneur per excellence. A response by the FCC boss at that time which was later proved right suggests there was personal motives and interest clash between her and the petitioners who were out just to tarnish her image and the credibility.

The petitioners who as earlier stated are commissioners in the commission had accused the chairman of infractions such as granting of waivers to advertise to MDAs and shunning the principles of federal character in job allocations. She was also accused of acting alone without recourse to fellow commissioners. After investigations by relevant agencies, the petitions had no substance and thrown out.

Today, the same masters of calumny are at it again. They are unrelenting even when they know their antics would take them nowhere. Today the trending issue is the usage of the mass media to disseminate falsehood by alleging that the FCC chairman was involved in a certificate forgery. It would have been better to ignore the petitioners, but to set the record straight. Dankaka is a graduate of the Kaduna Polytechnic and the Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria, Kaduna State. She is a Kaduna-based successful business woman who, before her appointment as the FCC boss, was into construction and consumer product developments.

Her past leadership role includes her headship of the Farida Ventures limited where she served as CEO. She was the immediate past president of KADCIMA. She was a member of the Governor Abdul-Razak APC transition committee in 2019. She had many awards and honours and these include the conferment on her the prestigious National Productivity Merit Award and OON by President Buhari for her contributions to the Nigerian economy as an entrepreneur per excellence. Her people conferred on her the title of the ERELU of Offa, Kwara State.

Musa Wada,

Abuja