by Kolapo Olapoju
The All Progressives Congress has accused the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan of some “last-minute dubious activities”.
The party claimed that Jonathan’s government is hurriedly recruiting into the public service, privatisatising key financial institutions as well as looting the nation’s resources.
In a statement released on Sunday, April 26, by the National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the dubious activities will be probed and will have grave consequences after the handover of May 29.
The party warned the outgoing government against creating more problems for the incoming government than it had already done.
The statement read in part: “For example, the National Council on Privatisation, which is headed by the Vice-President, has just approved the financial bid opening for transaction advisers for the privatisation of the three development finance institutions in the country – the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and Nigeria Commodity Exchange. The question is: What is the rationale for rushing this exercise with just weeks left for this administration?
“Also, there have been reports, not refuted, of a planned hurried recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, after a previous attempt ended in a national tragedy and the fleecing of innocent job seekers by mindless Federal Government officials.
“The Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board is only empowered to recruit, promote and discipline only senior officers (levels eight and above). The power to recruit, promote and discipline junior officers is vested in the different services, in this case the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“Therefore, the recruitment exercise now being conducted by the federal civil service under the auspices of the Presidential Committee to Assist on Immigration Recruitment usurps the functions of the board as it relates to the recruitment of Senior Officers (level 08) and that of the immigration service as it relates to Junior Officers (levels 07 and below).”
The APC also drew the attention of the President to a published report that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, intends to use the Federal Capital Development Authority to carry out a secret employment of about 500 workers before the end of the month.
‘’We do not know if this report, as well as others, is true. But if indeed these rushed privatisation and hurried recruitment exercises – in the twilight of the Jonathan administration – are true, they raise serious questions concerning the reasons behind such actions.”
“We are therefore compelled to call on President Jonathan to call his officials to order, lest they engage in actions that can later embarrass his administration,” the statement added.
