NPA in alleged secret recruitment against FG directive

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has been accused of carrying out recruitment of fresh hands against the directive of President Muhamadu Buhari that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) should not embark on any fresh recruitment.

Mr. President while presenting the 2018 budget to the National Assembly placed embargo on recruitment in federal MDAs’ except on presidential approval. He said the embargo was to manage a rising personnel expenditure that was expected to increase to 12 percent in 2018.

According to him, the overhead cost would also rise by 12 percent to N26 billion in 2018.

But in a flagrant disregard of the presidential directive, the Hadiza Bala Usman led NPA was allegedly begun secret recruitment into the authority. Investigations showed that series of recruitment exercise was done on November 10 and held at the Tahir Guest Palace, Kano state by the Human Resource Manager, Bukar Yahaya, for selected applicants.

It was further gathered that the kano’s recruitment was sequel to similar one that was done in the North-Eastern part of the country. It was alleged that those invited converged at AbdulAzeez Yari Conference hall of Tahir Guest Palace.

A source very close to NPA, who does not want to quoted, said that the selected applicants were handpicked because they either had connection to influential individuals in the society or because they came from the Northern region.

Reacting to the recruitment, Lucky Amiwero, National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA),  said it was cynical for a Federal Government agency to embark on secret recruitment.

Amiwero said there is need for Nigerians to sue the NPA for embarking on recruitment in a section of the country without making it public.

“Why should a Federal Government agency embark on recruitment in a section of the country? That is cynical. It is illegal, it contravenes the constitution, it contravenes the principle of federal character, and it is wrong and must be rejected in its entirety.”

Amiwero who stated that the NPA doesn’t belong to a section of the country asked the management to cancel the process or expect legal action.

However, effort to get the reaction from Abdullahi Goje, general manager, Public Relations of NPA, proved abortive as series of calls and text messages sent to his phones to know why the authority was carrying out secret recruitment were not replied.

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie