The Senate on Tuesday accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Pension Commission and several Ministries, Departments and Agencies of repeatedly breaching the Federal Character Principle in the areas of appointments, promotions and recruitment processes.
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The accusation came to light at Tuesday’s plenary session after lawmakers adopted a motion sponsored by Senator Osita Ngwu, titled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector.”
In his address, Ngwu highlighted that Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) prohibit the overrepresentation of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions.
The senator also expressed concern that while recruitment opportunities are scarce, promotions are frequently based on years of service rather than merit, further marginalising certain regions.
According to him, the lack of accountability in enforcing the Federal Character Principle has resulted in an unfair public sector, with recruitment at senior levels often influenced by favouritism rather than competence.
The legislator also argued that the principle, designed to balance merit with fair state representation, has been poorly implemented, negatively impacting discipline, morale, and overall institutional efficiency.
He said, “The Federal Character Principle, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the country’s diverse linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic groups.
“Sections 14(3) and 14(4) clearly stipulate that there should be no dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups within federal institutions.”
Ngwu listed agencies that had allegedly failed to adhere to the Federal Character Principle.
The list identified the erring MDAs as NNPCL and its subsidiaries, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NAFDAC, Nigerian Ports Authority, PENCOM, the Federal University of Technology Akure and National Library of Nigeria.
Others included Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Solid Minerals Development Fund and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
These institutions, he claimed, have often bypassed the regulations in their recruitment processes.
Ngwu warned that unchecked violations of the Federal Character laws would continue to undermine key legislative provisions, such as Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997, and Section 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
He also expressed concerns over the Federal Character Commission, arguing that despite its constitutional responsibility, the commission remains ineffective due to underfunding, political interference, and lack of enforcement power.
In response, the Senate instructed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct an investigation into all MDAs to assess their adherence to Federal Character provisions.
The committee is expected to present its findings within four weeks.
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