The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Character Commission (FCC), on Thursday, announced a new strategic partnership aimed at tackling job racketeering, illegal recruitment, and inequitable employment practices in Nigeria’s public sector.

Both agencies resolved to form a Joint Task Force that will actively monitor recruitment processes in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs); block abuse; and ensure fairness, equity, and transparency in the allocation of job opportunities across the country.

This was disclosed during a high-level meeting between the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), and the Acting Executive Chairman of the FCC, Dr. Kayode Oledele, at the FCC headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking at the meeting, Oledele welcomed the collaboration and affirmed that the FCC would no longer stay silent on issues of recruitment imbalance and unfair distribution of public resources.

Oledele emphasised that the newly proposed Joint Task Force would audit recruitment processes, ensure fair representation across states and regions, and include ICPC representatives in field monitoring.

He said, “The Federal Character Commission is a regulatory body. Our job is to ensure that public positions and job slots are shared fairly across all states, local governments, and regions. And not just jobs, we are also in charge of making sure infrastructure and amenities are fairly distributed.

“Just two days ago, we gave a directive to all agencies to submit their nominal rolls to us so we can calculate their ‘character balance index.’ No agency is exempt. Any agency that fails to comply will face enforcement action. We have legal powers under the law.

“When one state has more job slots than others, it creates injustice. And injustice to one is injustice to all. We must ensure that every part of Nigeria is carried along. We will also create a Joint Task Force with ICPC and sign an MOU.

“Going forward, even when we go out to monitor recruitment in agencies, ICPC staff will be there with us. We will work together. We owe it to the next generation to fix this problem today.”

On his part, Dr. Aliyu noted that the meeting’s aim was to foster better collaboration between the two agencies to prevent job racketeering and ensure that all Nigerians, especially young people, have fair and equal access to job opportunities.

He said, “We are seeing a lot of job racketeering in the public sector. Almost daily, ICPC receives complaints from young Nigerians who were denied jobs because recruitment was done through the back door.

“Many of the victims are youth. They are struggling, and their parents are struggling. Some top officials often give jobs primarily to people from their villages or states, which is unfair.

“We must lay a solid foundation of fairness. I have served as a state Attorney-General and now at the federal level, and I can tell you that what is happening is not right. We are seeing clear imbalances.”

Aliyu cited alarming cases of abuse, including one official who allegedly allocated 94 job slots to his home state alone, and an agency where a single state holds 65.72 per cent of its entire staff, while others barely account for 0.4 per cent.

He warned that such practices not only undermine the spirit of federal character but also threaten national unity and the credibility of public institutions.