Nigeria’s Federal Character Commission (FCC)—the government body charged with ensuring the country’s diverse ethnic groups are fairly represented in the public sector—is looking to the Middle East to modernise its operations.
The Commission has entered talks with an investment delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to overhaul its digital infrastructure, a move officials say is vital for transparency in a nation of more than 250 ethnic groups. The Executive Chairman of the FCC, Hulayat Omidiran, hosted Michael Gale, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi-based Al Liwan Group, at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Tech for Transparency
In Nigeria, the “Federal Character” principle is a constitutional requirement designed to prevent any single section of the country from dominating government positions or resources. However, the process of monitoring compliance across thousands of government agencies has long been hampered by bureaucratic delays and manual record-keeping.”Technology is essential to effective governance,” Ms. Omidiran told the delegation. “Strengthening our digital infrastructure will help the Commission improve monitoring and ensure better compliance.”The proposed partnership aims to replace ageing systems with modern digital tools that can track hiring and resource distribution in real-time, making it harder for state agencies to bypass equity laws.
Global Interest in Local Governance
The visit by the UAE-based group highlights a growing trend of international investors looking beyond Nigeria’s oil sector and toward institutional technology and “GovTech” (government technology) solutions. Mr. Gale praised the Commission’s “reform direction,” noting that institutions adopting modern digital systems are better positioned to deliver measurable results.
For the FCC, the stakes are high. In a country where perceptions of regional marginalisation often fuel political tension, the transition from paper-based monitoring to a digital “fairness tracker” could be a significant step in bolstering public trust in the state.
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