Integrity,Leadership Gender: The Federal Character Commission Challenge

By:Nkechi Nwokolo

Historically, power has been perceived as an exclusive of men.Across all culture of the world, women still face discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Gender inequality underpins many problems which disproportionately affect women, particularly their right to hold high elective and appointive offices.

For many years, women are often victim of gender based discrimination as they are often denied opportunity of reaching the Zenith of their career and rarely get appointed to high public offices. When they get to clinch such seat through dint of hardwork and competence, they face intractable opposition for no fundamental justification order than the historical perception that of being a woman.

This historical trend has been playing out at the Nigeria Federal Character Commission, FCC since the appointment of Dr Mrs Farida Dankaka in June 2020. In less than six months of her appointment, about four spurious and imaginary allegations were mounted against her, largely by those adverse to her track record of integrity and the emergence of a woman at the driver’s seat.

Her accusers who were about six (6) of the thirty seven commissioners in the Commission, in sinister connivance with some forces of darkness did allege that she awarded about thirty five million naira to a contractor for a media advert, which was above the budgetary provision for publicity and advertisement and that she unilaterally employed 22 people of whom 50% of them are not only from her State, but from her senatorial district.

They falsley claimed to have petitioned the ICPC and went ahead to petition the National Assembly over same spurious allegations. Unfortunately, they could not substantiate their allegations before the committee set up by the Senate to look into their allegations and their petition was treated as trash as it deserved. Still aiming at something, they disregarded the outcome and recommendations of the National Assembly and resulted to waging media war and aggressive blackmail against her.

All the allegations are not only baseless but also a calculated attempt to spread deliberate falsehood against Dr. Mrs. Dankaka for her fothrightness, Integrity, war against job racketeering and determination to sanitise the commission and reposition it for better and more effective delivery on its madate.

Observers who have keenly followed the naked dancing in the market square of these commissioners have noted Dr.Mrs Dankaka’s focused leadership and irrevocable commitment to rid the Federal Character Commission of corrupt practices and abuses, even in the face of unnecessary distractions.

If Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala can overcome all obstacles to attaining a position she is qualified and capable of holding, we also trust in Dr. Mrs Dankaka’ s ability and integrity to also make the women folks and Nigeria proud.