NEWS
Exclusive: CNA, Deputies, Top NASS Directors Defy Retirement Order, Cling to Positions
Palpable tension has gripped the top echelon of the National Assembly Establishment following the resolve of top civil servants to hang unto their positions in gross violation of the Civil service rules and in defiance to directives of the National Assembly Service Commission(NASC).
DAILY ASSET investigations revealed that based on the extant civil service rules, the senior servants were supposed to proceed on pre-retirement leave three months to the respective dates of their retirement.
Unfortunately, the civil servants, it was learnt defied all reminders and directives to proceed on terminal leave, a situation that has led to anxiety with the attendant bad blood from subordinates, especially those in line of succession.
Ironically, the chief suspect is the Clerk to National Assembly(CNA), Architect Olatunde Amos Ojo, who was expected to proceed on terminal leave ahead of his retirement in November.
Ojo, DAILY ASSET learnt has defiantly hung to his office and indeed proceeded to attend international engagement.
In a memo dated August 17, 2022 with reference number NASS/CNA/46/Vol.1/21
Ojo informed the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and other leaders of the NASS that he was proceeding to Canada on official assignment.
“ I write to inform that I am proceeding to attend the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference from 2oth August, 2022 in Halifax, Canada.
“In my absence, the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Bala Yabani will oversee the affairs of the office”, the circular personally signed by Ojo stated.
Apparently following the precedence laid by their boss, other top management staff may have also resolved to stay on their posts rather than proceed on retirement leave, it was gathered.
Other members of the top management team expected to proceed on terminal leave this year include: Michael Opara, the Secretary, Human Resources and Staff Development(June); Abiodun Suraj (October), the Secretary, Research and Information, Hajiya Rhamatu Ahmed (November), and the Deputy Clerk (Legislative), House of Representatives, Alhaji Fatai Jimoh.
The NASC had in a circular dated July 4, 2022 titled: “Mandatory Three Months Pre-retirement/Terminal Leave”, the Commission’s Chairman, Engr Ahmed Kadi Amshi stated clearly that terminal leave was a must for all staff due for retirement.
“ It has come to the attention of NASC that some officers due for retirment from service do not observe the mandatory three months pre-retirement leave as provided for in relevant rules and as directed in our earlier communication on the subject matter.
“For the avoidance of doubt, section 100238 of the Public Service Rules(2008) states: “Officers are required to give three months notice to retire from service before the effective date of retirement. At the commencement of three months, officers should proceed immediately on the mandatory one Month pre-retirement workshop/seminar. For the remaining two months, retiring officers are expected to take necessary measures to put their records straight so as to facilitate the speedy processing of their retirement benefits,” the circular stated.
While it urged CNA to ensure implementation of the policy, NASC warned that it “would no longer tolerate any contravention of the above mentioned rules.”
It was however, observed that the CNA, who was charged with ensuring implementation of the rules by NASC has become a first suspect in its violation.
Staff of NASS who spoke to DAILY ASSET but preferred anonymity blamed the Commission for seeming of lack of the will power to enforce its decisions.
“Nobody should be above the law”, one of them stated.
He said the seeming lack of capacity by the Commission had created a situation some top management positions remained vacant, several months after the occupants had retired.
Officials of NASC kept sealed lips when DAILY ASSET approached them for response on the matter saying it was “confidential” adding, “only Chairman can speak on the matter.”
By David Torough, Abuja
Stakeholders have expressed concern over delay in the domestication of Disability Act in Benue state and called on government to expedite passage of the law in the state.
At the stakeholders’ consultative meeting to domesticate the disability law in the state held Tuesday in Makurdi in collaboration with Inclusive friends Association (IFA), Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI) and JONAPWD, the Director General, Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Dr Leonard Viashima, represented by the Technical Adviser on Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, John Akuse, however said governor Alia’s administration was willing to domesticate the law in the state.
In his address, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability Affairs, Bem Anshe, who doubles as the chairman of JONAPWD, stressed the need for the domestication of the law in Benue, saying it would facilitate the inclusion of people with disability in governance.
Anshe decried the non-passage of the law in the state, lamenting that Benue was the only state in the North Central yet to domesticate it.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of IFA, Grace Jerry, represented by the Programme Manager of IFA, Stephen Idoko, noted that despite the challenges, she was confident that the forum would achieve its objective if all worked together.
She noted that the presence of stakeholders in the meeting reaffirmed the collective commitment to making a lasting impact on the lives of persons with disabilities in the state.
On her part, Prof. Christy Anyogo from IFA expressed hope that Benue would soon join the league of states that have domesticated the disability law, saying governor Hyacinth Alia never looks back on whatever he wants to do.
The consultative forum was attended by stakeholders from the state ministry of Women Affairs, ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, traditional rulers, religious leaders, social investment programme agency, Albinism association of Nigeria, leprosy survivors and spinal cord injury.
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has charged contractors and the site engineers handling construction of the 260 smart schools and 260 Type-2 Primary Health facilities in the 260 wards of the state on the delivery of world-class projects that would stand the test of time.
Governor Mbah enjoined them to deploy quality materials and build according to specifications, warning that any sharp practices would attract stiff sanctions and rejection by the government. He equally underscored the need for contractors to deliver their projects on schedule as stipulated in their terms of contract.The governor spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, during an inspection tour of ongoing projects in Ezeagu LGA on Wednesday.He said the purpose of the inspection by the project’s monitoring team, which also comprises the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Gerald Otiji; Commissioner for Education, Prof Nwabueze Mbah; Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Chris Robert Ozongwu; Chairman of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Dr. Gabriel Ajah; Special Adviser to the Governor on Projects Development and Implementation, Uche Nwatu, among others, was to ensure the quality and integrity of the projects, from start to finish.”We met with the contractors and their site engineers in all the sites we’ve visited. This is to ensure that there is no variation in the work specification, and that the quality of the materials they are using, starting from the foundation to completion, could guarantee the integrity and structural tests of these projects.”What His Excellency is setting out to achieve here is to make sure that we did not run the three risks that we know that are eminent in every construction, considering that a time will come in Enugu State when we will have almost five hundred live projects – smart schools, primary healthcare facilities – in all the 260 wards, in addition to the roads constructions that are going on across the board. So, we are building a very strong monitoring team that will address the quality aspect of it.”We are also taking into consideration the cost risk that comes when the time risk begins to happen, because, once we miss the timeline, the next is that we begin to discuss variation. So, this team here is to ensure that all risks are evaluated and compliance is strictly adhered to.”We are also working on engaging with the local stakeholders to ensure the security of the process here. So, that will help us address issues around theft of materials we brought to the site. But more importantly is that at the end of each project there will be sustainability and that these stakeholders will take ownership of these schools and other projects in their communities.”So, it is not just about monitoring, but also about building on all the key facets that will make sure that these projects achieve the objectives to have smart children and smart teachers coming out of our local governments and a smart workforce for the state,” Prof Onyia stated.That’s why we have accommodation for them and we are also going to ensure that Enugu generally has a smart workforce. That’s why we are here”.He allayed the fears over the culture of abandoned projects by various strata of the government, saying that the allocation of 33 per cent of the entire 2024 budget to education has guaranteed the start, completions, and handover of the smart school projects on schedule.On his part, Chairman of ENSUBEB, Dr. Ajah, said they were happy with the quality of work so far, adding that contractors were complying with specifications and corrections were immediately effected wherever there were gaps.Admonishing communities to take ownership of the projects, he urged them to see the facilities as their own by ensuring the security of the projects.”Security is everybody’s business. The people are happy. The government has never come to the people at ward level like this before now. So, I am calling on our people to protect these projects from vandals by taking charge and ownership of them”, he concluded.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Director-General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency, BEQA, Dr. Terna Francis, on Thursday, said the administration of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is at the verge of reviving the state foreign exchange programme that was abandoned by previous administrations.
Dr. Terna, who said the foreign exchange program that had provided Benue citizens with opportunity to study abroad in the past, was abandoned due to the inability of the government to pay three million naira for those who secured foreign scholarships. The DG who disclosed while speaking with journalists in his office in Makurdi, said he had already sent a memo to the State government to reintroduce the program in order to add value to the educational system in the state.”We want to revive the foreign exchange program which was stopped because of just 3 million naira. I have already made a memo to the State government to reintroduce the program.We have some of these people who have benefited from this foreign exchange programme presently working with the state government. Some of them are in government house working while others are in other MDAs working and adding value to what we are doing”,Dr. Terna maintained. He however expressed dismay over the poor quality of education system in the State, saying there is a big mess in the quality of teaching and learning in schools across the State. “It was for this reason that the Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia established this agency with the mandate to document, control and check the quality of learning in the basic and post basic education sector.”We met a mess in the education sector and we are now doing a clean up exercise . Several schools in the State have structural defects. People convert their two (2)bedroom flats into school.”The teachers are just secondary school leavers. Someone who just finished SS3 is giving a teaching job to teach SS3 physics.”Just imagine, a proprietor chokes students in a poultry farm. This is unacceptable and we are going to close the school down. Education is just for profiteering without quality.”We have been doing our best to clean up the mess. The agency is a bureau directly answerable to the Governor. Quality Assurance that means the department of Quality assurance in the Ministry of Education is directly under the agency.”It is a systemic thing. 32,000 is the fee for WAEC. But before now, the students were paying over 50,000 or more as WAEC fees.”We have called for recertification and gathering of data about quality of teachers and paying of annual renewal fees. We sent out our evaluators to confirm the data schools give to us.”I have visited over 300 schools in the State. We have warned school proprietors and proprietresses to put things in place or have their schools sealed. We are not compromising on standard and quality no matter who is involved. We are not backing down. We have the political backing.”It will amaze you to know that 2016 was the last time the examination board conducted BECE without issuing certificates.”You can imagine that a school in Makurdi is using the British curriculum and operating a semester kind of education. The students are made to pay 550,000 as fees.”We have tried to reduce bureaucracy in the establishment of schools before now, which takes up to a year, but now, it takes just a few months to get a provisional approval to establish a school.
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