By Ishaya Ibrahim
Acting News Editor
Tribalists cornerup juicy jobs in the federal civil service for their own folks, brewingtension between the Commission Chairman, Joan Ayo, and Northerners who accuse her of the sort of nepotism seen in Aso Rock and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Besides nepotism, her critics–equally neck deep in ethnic and tribal employments in public office – allegeshe is autocratic and vindictive.
Loaded with South Westerners
A well informed source told TheNiche that “her commissioners have risen against her for her autocratic ways of doing things.Every vacancy declared for employment under her tenure had been shared to all the states according to an agreed formula.
“But [she] flouted this arrangement by posting mainly people from her region to the office of the accountant general of the federation. About 80 per cent of those posted to the office are from the South West.”
The accountant general’s office is one of the fattest civil service jobs. It is in charge of the federal treasury and its employees earn emoluments and allowances far more than their colleagues in other ministries.
Northerners raise dust
“When Northerners discovered this and kicked against it, rather than lick her wounds and accept her errors Ayo decided that all the civil servants employed under her watch must go.
“This is in the face of worsening unemployment in the country, and massive job losses where more than 4.5 million Nigerians have lost their jobs.
“She is willing to terminate the jobs of over 50,902 civil servants,” the source said.
The source alleged that the current staff audit in the civil service is a ployby Ayo to get even with commissioners who also are guilty of favouringtheir own kith and kin in employment.
About 134 employees of the Ministry of Environment are said to be kicking against alleged attempts to lay them off if Ayo’s plan scales through.
“She is reported to have said they were recruited under the Jonathan administration,” the source added.
The civil servants are insisting that they should not be used to do politics and have resolved to resist such.
Unauthorised appointments
A statement issued on August 12 by Assistant Director (Press and Public Relations), J.O. Oruche, said: “The chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Joan Ayo, has disclosed that the ongoing auditing at the FCSC has revealed some irregular/unauthorised appointments which have been declared null and void.
“[She] maintained that this action is necessary because the appointments are not backed by any vacancy from the office of the head of civil service of the federation and as such, were not budgeted for.
“Besides, they are in gross violation of the federal character principle.”
Our source said commissioners representing various states are squaring up with Ayo, arguing that her errors are not enough reason to throw other people out of jobs.
“After all, people are retiring every day and there are others who have changed their ages in the civil service, and if anyone should be shown the way out it is those people who are old and are still in the job,” the source argued.
Critics described as mischievous the proposed dismissal of civil servants on the grounds that their employment was not backed by vacancy advertisement and violates federal character principle.
Similar farce in CBN
Early this year, Sahara Reporters listed 91 people linked to All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains and government officials, including President MuhammaduBuhari’s nephew, who were secretly recruitedin the CBN.
Other beneficiaries include:
- The daughter of former Vice President, AtikuAbubakar.
- The son of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, IbeKachikwu.
- The daughter of former House of Representatives Speaker, GhaliNa’Abba.
- The son of Internal Affairs Minister, AbdulrahmanDambazau.
However, acting CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okoroafor, told PREMIUM TIMESthe bank did not do anything illegal in hiring without advertising.
“In the last two years, we have had cause to recruit specialists, and what the law says is that if we are going for that kind of recruitment we should apply for waiver so that we can do targeted recruitment,” Okoroafor explained.
Observers ask what is the difference between the employment of civil servants, whom Ayowants to dismiss, and those in the CBN, whose employment bear similar traits.
An email sent to the FCSC website seeking her response was not replied at press time.
Way up to the Villa
Second Republic politician, Junaid Mohammed, told TheNiche in a story published on June 26 that Buharipractises nepotism and his relatives are the ones dictating policy in Aso Rock.
Mohammed later told The Punch in a story published on July 23 that there are at least 12 relatives of Buhari in government jobs who have formed a cabal controlling federal power.
The Villa does not deny the stories. Rather, Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, confirmed on Radio Continental that his boss has taken note of the complaints of nepotism.
Mohammed said: “Whether one calls it a cabal or a mafia or some kind of cult or whatever, there is a group of people who are wielding power within the Presidency under Buhari. Whatever you say it is; it is and a lot worse.
- “The most influential person in the Presidency today is MammanDaura, whom, as you know, is a nephew of MuhammaduBuhari. His father was Buhari’s elder brother.
- “MammanDaura single handedly brought up Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to Buhari. Abba Kyari knows MammanDaura more than he knows his own father.
- “The personal assistant (PA) to Buhari himself is the son of MammanDaura.
- “What they call SCOP, state chief of protocol, is also a son-in-law to MammanDaura because he is married to MammanDaura’s daughter.
- “The Minister they unilaterally chose [Aisha Abubakar] is the daughter of the younger sister of MammanDaura’s wife. Both of them are the daughters of Sultan Dasuki, who was sacked by SanniAbacha.
- “The aide de camp (ADC) to Buhari, Colonel Abubakar, is married to the granddaughter of one of Buhari’s elder sisters.
- “The woman who represents Kaduna in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is a cousin to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai. It is well known that el-Rufai is one of the closest governors to Buhari.
- “The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is Musa Bello, who used to be the managing director of the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC), which used to be the biggest holding company that belonged to all the Northern states. His father has been Buhari’s friend over the years.
- “There is a young man called Sabiu Yusuf, nicknamed Tunde – probably because of the late TundeIdiagbon. He is another PA to Buhari. He is also a grandson of another sister of Buhari.
- “Amina Zakari is a national commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the North West.
“When former President Goodluck Jonathan was re-organising the INEC and he was bringing in AttahiruJega, he reached out to Buhari and asked Buhari to nominate somebody from the North West as a national commissioner.
“Buhari nominated his own niece, Amina Zakari, the daughter of his elder sister. When Jega left, Buhari was determined to make her INEC chairman; it was because of the massive backlash that made him to drop the idea like hot potatoes.
- “The immediate younger brother to Amina Zakari[HadiSirika] is the minister of water resources representing Jigawa State in the same Buhari government. Even though they are from Kazaure, Kazaure is contiguous to Daura [Buhari’s home town].
- “Their eldest sister is the commissioner for education in the APC government in Jigawa State.
“If this is not nepotism, then I don’t know what is nepotism and anybody who has the guts, the brutal arrogance to appoint these relations not bothering about public opinion, about the sense of justice, about competence, then you can see that he has a very serious question to answer.”