Lawmakers Accuse Army Of Lopsided Recruitment

There was a heated argument between senators and personnel of the Nigerian Army over the conduct of the institution in its recruitment process. The meeting had in attendance, members of the committee on the Army and the commander for training and doctrine command of the Nigerian Army, Major General S. O Olabanji. At the meeting, Senator Abdullahi Danbaba who is the deputy minority whip of the Senate and doubles as a member of the Senate Committee on the Army accused Olabanji of an ongoing lopsided recruitment process in the institution.

Reports said chairman of the committee, Abba Moro, representing Benue south senatorial district ruled Danbaba out of order. Moro in his ruling said the ongoing meeting was not intended for inquiries on the recruitment process in the Army. However, taken aback and angered by the chairman’s ruling, the lawmaker representing Rivers southeast senatorial district, Barinada Mpigi, raised the issue again.

Mpigi said allegations of lopsided recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Army is not a minor issue to put aside or ruled against. On Mpigi outrage, Senator Moro again ruled against the probe. He insisted that the session was not intended for a review of the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigerian Army but on tactical training and doctrine of officers of the institution.

Moro said: “The questions being raised by my colleagues on alleged lopsided recruitments are being thrown to the wrong person.” He added that the inquiry on recruitment should be thrown to the chief of army staff. Following the resistance by Senator Moro on the inquiry of the recruitment process, the lawmakers, Danbaba and Mpigi stormed out of the meeting in anger. Speaking after the duo’s exit from the meeting, Danbaba said he staged a walkout with his colleague, Mpigi because Senator Moro was being dictatorial at the session.

Meanwhile, senators announced that they have noticed ongoing secret recruitment within the Federal Civil Service Commission. The lawmakers said the employment process was going on despite an unconfirmed embargo on recruitment by the federal government. They also alleged that the officials are hiding under the cloak of an imaginary embargo on employment to secretly employ their candidates of choice into juicy offices.