The House of Representatives has asked the Nigerian Navy to suspend its planned pre-screening exercise for the 44 shortlisted candidates for its 2021/2022 recruitment exercise, with a view to strengthening the Federal Character law.
The House has further demanded the Navy to provide details of all its recruitment from 2014 to date showing the geographical spread.
It also mandated its committee on Navy to investigate the exercise and recommend appropriate measures to avoid similar constitutional violations in all future government recruitments and report back within 12 weeks for further legislative action.
This came Wednesday following a motion moved under matters of urgent public importance by Hon. Ben Igbakpa, drawing attention of the House to the alleged breach of the federal character principle as contained in section 14 of the 1999 constitution by the Navy.
He recalled that the Nigerian Navy shortlisted 44 candidates for the 2021/2022 recruitment exercise and have scheduled a pre-screening exercise for the candidates before their full induction into the Nigeria Naval Service.
He added however that “all the successful candidates that are to report for training in two batches at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School, Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers state are all from a particular part of the country.”
While arguing that the process negates the Federal Character principle of all inclusiveness, equity and fair play, the lawmaker noted that the underlying purpose of the principle in a multi ethnic society as Nigeria, “is to ensure equal participation of the various ethnic extractions in the governance of the country.”
