We Paid N3m for FCC Jobs, Witnesses Tell House Committee

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Two witnesses, who were victims of the alleged job racketeering at the Federal Character Commission (FCC), yesterday, told the House ad hoc committee that they paid N3 million for employment at the commission

They however, lamented that their employment letters were later retrieved.

A desk officer of the FCC, Haruna Kolo, had confessed to have received more than N75 million from job-seekers on behalf of the FCC Chairman, Muheeba Dankaka

The witnesses, Abdulmalik Ahmed and Ali Yero, stated this while  testifying before the House committee investigating federal ministries, department and agencies, parastatals and tertiary institutions on mismanagement of the Integrated payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS).

Ahmed revealed that their employment letter which was earlier issued to 27 of them was later retrieved at a meeting on the 17th of July 2023 by a committee, who investigated them and collected their original appointment letters.

He explained that after getting the appointments, Kolo promised that they would be posted in two months time.

“I get to know Kolo through the driver of Taraba Commissioner at FCC. I transferred a million naira into Kolo’s account on the arrangement that the monthly pay is about N140,000 or N130,000. So, we agreed on N1.5 million with the driver first. We bargained with the driver on behalf of Kolo. His name is Yusha’u Gambo,” he said.

Also, in his testimony, Yero said his two brothers paid N2 million in installments to secure the job for him.

According to him, one of them paid N1.5million while the other paid N500,000 as balance.

He stated, “My brothers Nurudeen Yaro and Abdulrazak Yaro paid the sum of N2 million  to Badamasi Yaro’s account on the 2nd of August 2022. Badamasi Yaro is working with Haruna Kolo and the money paid into his account was for a job at Federal Character Commission.

“Haruna Kolo told me the slot was from the Chairperson of the commission, that is why I would be captured under IPPIS platform.

Giving his verdict, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, said in the absence of Kolo, Secretary to Taraba State commissioner and his driver should appear before the committee today (Wednesday).