The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA)is facing an internal crisis. Its chief executive officer, Arc. Sina Agboluaje, and the?? staff are now at daggers-drawn, and the matter appears beyond amicable resolution.
?Agboluaje was accused? of bringing cronies? from outside to fill the vacant slots in the agency, while leaving deserving officers who ought to be considered first, hence throwing propriety to the winds and? ignoring? the? federal government’s circular with reference number HCSF/061S/S.I/111/68? of? August 26, 2009, and subsequent? other? similar circulars introducing? the tenure policy in the entire? federal service.
LEADERSHIP investigations reveal that following the exit of seven? directors of the authority who had to leave service having attained eight years on the post, Agboluaje,?? whose tenure would expire on August 30, 2012, announced, at a board meeting of the agency, the existence of vacancies and asked whether they had candidates to fill the slots. He also made the same announcement at a general meeting of the staff a few days after.
But? in a twist of irony, he went ahead? to appoint a consultant? to organize the recruitment of? six general managers? from outside? in contravention of the tenure policy, and unilaterally went ahead? to? nominate a board member? and a? director in the supervising Ministry of Trade and Investment to be on the? panel that interviewed? applicants? for the positions?? vacated by? the former occupants.
LEADERSHIP also discovered that, as at yesterday, four out of the six successful candidates have been issued letters of appointment and were expected to resume duty on September 1, 2011.
It was also? discovered that,? at the last sitting of the governing board of the authority, the board members resolved that the six newly appointed directors be stepped down until due process was followed and subject to availability of funds come year 2012. But? Agboluaje simply side-stepped the? board’s resolution. In fact, two out of the six have resumed full duty. One from Kano State was drafted as the general manager in charge of Kano Free Trade Zone (KFZ); another, a woman from Anambra State, is presently in the? Abuja office of the agency? ?
LEADERSHIP? can authoritatively? confirm that the agency? is in a? lacuna? over how to settle the remuneration? of? the newly appointed? directors? since? there was? no provision for their emolument in the 2011 appropriation. Further, it is not known whether the relevant financial authorities would make provisions for the emoluments of these newly recruited directors in view of the obvious lapses in adhering to the guidelines stipulated for bringing in new officers in the federal public service by NEPZA under the watch of Mr. Adesina Agboluaje.
The board also recommended that three senior deputy directors, who were allegedly being schemed out and sidelined from being promoted by the managing director, should be promoted.
When the federal government, through various circulars circulated in 2009, introduced the tenure policy in the federal public service for directors and permanent secretaries, the cardinal? objective of the policy? was to allow for internal upward? movement? or career progression of senior? management and intermediate management staff who have been? stagnated on one post for? as long as 10 to 12 years .
Some senior management staff such as? deputy directors? and assistant directors? or their equivalent? in most? federal? establishments? have had to retire earlier than the directors and permanent secretaries on account? of no vacancy at the top. In essence, the policy was meant to? create room for upward movement of this set of officers and leave space at the? lower rung? to employ? fresh graduates and also do away with tired and expired senior public officers who no longer have anything new to offer the public service after a maximum of eight years as directors or permanent secretaries.
The policy states in part : “All serving permanent secretaries and directors who would have spent eight (8) years on this post by January 1, 2010, the effective date of this provision, are hereby notified for the purpose of commencing their pre-retirement activities when due…”
According to some NEPZA staff spoken to, in the course of this investigation, most of the incoming general managers were people who have lower years of post-graduation and cognate experience compared to most of the staff on ground.??????????? ?
In a plea to the minister of trade and investment, Dr.Olusegun Aganga, dated August 22, 2011, and entitled “Series of Maladministration in NEPZA,” the staff of the agency complained that the coming of these outsiders would automatically truncate their internal career progression as there would be stagnation for at least?? eight (8) years, as there would be no career progression within the authority. This is in addition to low staff morale which would be the order of the day, which in turn would lead to low productivity.
Following the petition by the staff, LEADERSHIP confirmed that Agboluaje summoned a meeting of all staff with a view to countering and explaining all the issues raised in the petition.
A source at the agency told LEADERSHIP that he denied employing six general managers and said only four were employed, which was interpreted as a tactical way of dropping the two others who had not collected their letters of appointment before the petition. For now, the staff is waiting. However, many have vowed to fight on to the end against this alleged injustice, no matter how long and in whatever way whatsoever.
When contacted on phone for his own side of the story, Agboluaje said he did not give a damn. Subsequent efforts to reach him proved abortive as he switched off his phone.
It would not be the first time he was coming under a hammer. In 2008, the EFCC was said to have invited some top management officials of the NEPZA to explain their roles in the alleged withdrawal of N100million for an insurance policy. The invitation was said to have followed a leakage of the transaction by a management staff member of the agency.
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