The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has given the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) one week to correct employment irregularities in the commission.

The commission was directed to report back to the committee after the deadline. Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ahmed Wase, gave the ultimatum at a public hearing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the committee had gone through the nominal roll of the commission and had discovered some irregularities that contradicted the Federal Character Law. Wase said that the committee observed that some states across the six geo-political zones were under-represented while others were over-represented.

In his response, the Director General of SEC, Mr Mounir Gwarzo, explained that some states where the commission’s zonal offices were located were given consideration.

He said that the employment process took into consideration the comfort of members of staff who would work as drivers or clerks at the zonal offices to enable them function effectively.

According to the director general, members of staff at the zonal offices will only function effectively if they are familiar with the terrain. The committee, however, said that it was not satisfied with the explanation and demanded that all irregularities be corrected within one week. (NAN)

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