Tinubu, lawmakers urged to probe alleged racketeering in MDAs appointments

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to address alleged appointment corruption within government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

The Middle Belt Youth Association (MBYA), during a press conference led by Dr Michael Ahundu in Abuja on Friday, July 5, also appealed to the National Assembly to halt those responsible for the misconduct.

The group accused officials with connections in the Presidential Villa of orchestrating the scheme to serve their interests.

They highlighted irregularities in the ministries of Commerce, Defence, and Solid Minerals, where qualified officials from the North Central geopolitical zone were unjustly replaced with individuals holding dubious appointment letters.

The group underscored that such practices must be stopped as they significantly undermine the government's efforts to promote diligence, hard work, and competence, especially in revenue-generating sectors.

According to the group, "It is unacceptable for government officials to become architects of deliberate sabotage of government's efforts. One scenario where this sabotage is glaring is in the hiring of corrupt officials to manage key departments of our national life. Yielding to the temptation to manipulate the system must stop.

"Equally worrisome is the fact that there are instances of backdoor replacement of uncompromising officials who are well within their secured contract tenures and without blemish or misconduct."

The group finally called on relevant authorities to rise up to their responsibility and ensure that Mr President does not "lose his support base simply because of a few bad eggs who notoriously bent on jeopardising the Renewed Hope Agenda."