The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) is struggling to ensure payment of salaries after the secret recruitment of new employees without recourse to extant guidelines.

The new employees were about 860, a document from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission read.

“I refer to your letter No. PCC/HO/ADM.351/5.2T/165 dated 30 August 2023 on the above-mentioned subject and observe that during the meeting between your management and the Commission on 12″ September 2023 in my office, your inability to pay CONLESS is as a result of your recruitment of additional 886 staff after our approval for 3,114 staff. Please note that our approval predicated on your submissions and ability to pay the salaries proposed,” the document dated September 26, 2023 read.

According to multiple sources, the recruitment was done between June and October 2023 by Abimbola Ayo Yusuf, Chief Commissioner of the commission in contravention of the due process for conducting recruitments into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as established by the Nigerian Government.

Most of those who benefitted from the secretive process included children of top politicians in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Other beneficiaries of the crooked process were family members of senior government officials and lawmakers.

The recruitments have drawn widespread condemnations from the staff of the commission.

“The Chairman recruited unauthorized 860 people into the commission, causing it to struggle to pay salaries and it’s on the verge of collapse.

“They recruited only their family and friends and sold the rest jobs. Children, relatives of politicians, directors, commissioners and Chief Commissioner were employed between June 2022 to October 2022,” one of the aggrieved staff said.

“They were all employed without any competency aptitude test or interview.”

Calls put across by SaharaReporters to Abimbola Ayo Yusuf, Chief Commissioner of the commission were not picked nor returned.

A text message also sent to his line last Friday was not replied as at the time of this report.

The Public Complaints Commission (abbreviated PCC) is an agency of the Federal government of Nigeria under the Presidency which acts as an Ombudsman that receives complaints of the citizenry against the government or private institutions/organization or their officials and wades in to settle issues.

It was set up in 1975 to ensure accountability and transparency in the way government and its agencies as well as organizations engage with the public and to curb arbitrary use of administrative powers by public officials within and outside government establishments.

Earlier in the year, staff of the commission embarked on a strike action, highlighting grievances regarding salary payments and alleged victimization by management.

The workers, unified under the Joint Labour Union, were demanding full payment of their salaries, promotion arrears, and the implementation of the ₦35,000 wage award.