Staff of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) on Thursday staged a protest at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, demanding the removal of the Executive Chairman, Dr. Muheeba Dankaka, over alleged abuse of office, mismanagement, and high-handedness.
The protest was organised under the umbrella of the Joint Negotiating Council, which includes the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), and the Nigeria Union of Public Service Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors, and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW).
The workers, bearing placards with messages such as “Dankaka Must Go,” “Enough is Enough,” and “No to Sole Administrator in FCC,” called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and restore order to the agency.
Among the allegations raised were the unlawful stoppage of salaries for 20 staff members without due process, the suspension of pay for employees on approved study leave, and the non-payment of retirement and repatriation benefits for some former and deceased workers.
In a petition previously submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the unions accused Dr. Dankaka of running the Commission like a private business since her appointment in July 2020.
“She has deviated from all established norms and turned the FCC into her personal enterprise,” the petition read, noting persistent clashes with the Commission’s Governing Board and disregard for extant civil service rules.
Signed by Comrade Benson Agbo Ameh (NCSU), Comrade Gidi Fanimokun Uche (ASCSN), and Comrade Franca Akpehwo (NUPSRAW), the petition alleged a pattern of unilateral decisions, nepotism in staff appointments, and a breakdown in proper administrative procedures.
“It is also common knowledge that her tenure has been marred by multiple investigations by anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and ICPC, as well as probes by the National Assembly,” the unions claimed. “Under her leadership, the Commission has failed to formulate any meaningful policy in five years.”
The workers also accused the chairman of withdrawing over 22 official vehicles for personal use, refusing to pay electricity bills—leading to regular power cuts at the headquarters—and neglecting basic office maintenance and staff welfare.
They added that no staff training had taken place since 2020 and that the agency was being run by a select group of loyalists handpicked by the chairman.
The unions further alleged that Dr. Dankaka ignored a directive from the SGF regarding the appointment of an Acting Secretary and is now lobbying for a second term in office. According to them, she claimed to have spent N500 million to secure political support for her reappointment.
Calling for an immediate government probe into the Commission’s operations and finances from 2020 to date, the union leaders insisted that only a full investigation would expose the depth of the alleged mismanagement.
