ICPC raids Fiscal Responsibility Commission over corruption allegations

Operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related offences) Commission last Wednesday visited the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, FRC, headquarters in Abuja and carted away several volumes of files and official documents.
The raid followed a petition received from a group of “Concerned Staff of FRC” against the acting chairman of the commission, Victor Muruako.
The petition dated May 29, 2017, signed on behalf of the group by Jonathan Yakubu, was addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
A copy of the petition obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Friday was also sent to the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo; Director General, State Security Service; Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Procurement/Due Process as well as the Chairman, Public Complaints Commission.
In the petition, the group accused Muruako of a host of offences, ranging from impersonation, corruption, fraud, sabotage, persistent breach of the Public Procurement Act 2007, Impunity to abuse of office, among others.
Part of the petition reads: “Following the expiration of the tenure of the pioneer board of the commission on December 4, 2013, the group said Mr. Muruako was appointed “to oversee the affairs of the Commission pending the reconstitution of the Board.”
However, they said no sooner was Muruako appointed in January 2014 than he swiftly re-designated himself “acting Chairman” from his previous position as deputy director, beginning to draw N1.13 million as salary per month, equivalent to the pay of a substantive executive chairman.
Since then, the workers said, Mr. Muruako has not only been parading himself as chairman of the commission, but has also been signing official correspondences in that capacity and drawing all allowances equivalent to those associated to that office.
They alleged that since assumption of office, Muruako had perpetrated various abuses of the office, including recruitment of ghost workers and including them on the commission’s payroll without following due process.
They cited the case of one Francis Alia of No. 1 A Close, Aba, Abia State, offered probationary appointment on March 10, 2014 as an Assistant Executive Officer (Information Technology) on Grade level 06 step, who since his appointment, has never been seen in the office.