President Bola Tinubu has formally installed new leadership for the Federal Character Commission, bringing an end to months of transition at the agency tasked with enforcing equity in public appointments and national representation.
At the centre of the new leadership is Hulayat Omidiran, a former federal lawmaker from Osun State, who now assumes responsibility for guiding the commission’s constitutional mandate amid renewed expectations for fairness and institutional credibility.
Omidiran, 59, replaces Muheeba Dankaka, whose tenure the Presidency described as “dogged by controversy,” marking a reset for the commission following leadership disputes and public criticism over its operations.
The swearing-in ceremony took place on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, where Tinubu administered the oath of office to Omidiran alongside 37 commissioners representing the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, shortly before 5 pm.
A two-term member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2019, Omidiran represented Ayedaade, Irewole and Isokan Federal Constituency and later built an extensive profile in legislative oversight and sports administration.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has served in several national and international sports bodies, including the Nigeria Football Federation, FIFA Women’s Football Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
Her appointment was made on August 11, 2025, following an earlier reversal by the Presidency, and was subsequently confirmed by the Senate on November 27 after security screening and a formal appearance before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs on October 30.
Also sworn in was Mohammed Musa as Secretary of the commission, alongside commissioners drawn from all states, reinforcing the FCC’s structure as a constitutionally mandated body overseeing balance in public service recruitment and national resource distribution.
Established under Act No. 34 of 1996 and recognised by Sections 14 and 153 of the 1999 Constitution, the commission is empowered to issue compliance guidelines for public appointments and sanction agencies found to have violated the federal character principle.
