Tinubu charges Chairman, Members of FCC board on national unity

President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday in Abuja, charged the newly sworn-in Chairman and Commissioners of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to uphold the peace and stability of the nation by being fair and just in their service.

The President gave the charge when he swore in the Chairman, Hulayat Omidiran, and the commissioners at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the President also admonished them to seek ways of contributing to the growth and advancement of the country.

Tinubu, who described the commission as “the nation’s conscience”, added that the commissioners have a critical role in stabilising the country, given the nation’s complexities.

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“What you represent here today is the conscience of our nation. What you have been assigned to do is to promote and stabilise the conscience of this country, to ensure diligent, committed, and patriotic citizenry,” the President stated.

President Tinubu said the nation has all it takes to be great, prosperous, and productive, considering its human and natural resources, and urged citizens to be committed to national development.

“If I can borrow from the exhortation of President John F. Kennedy of the United States, he asked the Americans, and I am asking you to ask yourselves what you can do for the country. It should not be all the time about what this country can do for you, but about what you can do to make this country great and greater.

“Now that you have been inaugurated to reflect the federal character, the complexity, diversity of this country is all in your hands, and I say God will continue to guide you in this critical assignment,” the President stated.

The Chairman of the FCC thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve and for carefully selecting the commissioners.

Omidiran assured the President that the commission will fulfil its mandate to ensure fairness in representation.

“I want to assure Mr President that under my watch, the commission will pursue its constitutional responsibility diligently in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration.

“On behalf of all of us here, we promise to promote the strength of our diversity and rekindle the hope and aspirations of Nigerians in carrying out our constitutional mandate, under your guidance,” the Chairman said.

The Federal Character Commission is responsible for ensuring that socio-economic amenities, development projects, and employment opportunities are shared fairly and equitably by targeting underserved communities and promoting inclusivity for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

It has one commissioner from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

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