SENATE QUERIES NAICOM OVER LOPSIDED RECRUITMENT, DEMANDS COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL CHARACTER PRINCIPLE

Read Time:1 Minute, 34 Second

By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs has raised alarm over what it described as glaring lopsidedness in the recruitment practices of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), calling for urgent corrective action.

At an investigative hearing on Tuesday, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the representation of certain states particularly Sokoto and Jigawa—in the commission’s workforce. The management team of NAICOM, led by Commissioner for Insurance and CEO, Olusegun Omosehin, appeared before the lawmakers to respond to the allegations.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East), represented by Vice Chairman Senator Diket Plang (Plateau Central), accused the commission of breaching the constitutional principle of Federal Character.

“It is unacceptable that in a nation as diverse as ours, some states like Sokoto and Jigawa remain grossly underrepresented in your commission,” Plang said. “The principle of Federal Character is not optional it is a constitutional mandate to ensure fairness, equity, and inclusiveness in all federal institutions.”

In his defence, Omosehin told the committee that NAICOM currently has a staff strength of 255 and that the most recent recruitment was carried out in 2020, before his appointment in 2024. He explained that several retirements and resignations had occurred since then, which contributed to the observed imbalance.

He added that all previous recruitment exercises were conducted with certificates of compliance issued by the Federal Character Commission.

Despite this explanation, the Senate committee insisted that NAICOM’s staffing did not reflect the federal character requirements. Following extensive deliberations, the commission admitted that certain states were indeed underrepresented.

In response, Senator Plang issued a stern directive to the commission to ensure fair representation in its future recruitment exercises, stressing that adherence to the federal character principle is essential for national unity and inclusiveness.

The committee vowed to continue its oversight to ensure full compliance by all federal agencies.