EXCLUSIVE: Tenure Policy: Official rejects NUC’s directive to retire

Following the report by PREMIUM TIMES exposing the refusal of the administration of the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC) to implement the eight-year tenure coverage for administrators, the company has written the Director in control of the Institution of Personal Universities, Constance Goddy-Nnadi, to retire from service.

This newspaper is, nevertheless, conscious of Mrs Goddy-Nnadi’s insistence that she wouldn’t retire from the service till 18 July. The explanation for the selection of the July date by the official is unclear as of the time of this report.

The brand new growth was contained within the updates offered on the matter by the Performing Director of Human Sources, Victoria Omorodion, in the course of the company’s administration assembly held on Tuesday, 26 March.

Sources on the NUC, nevertheless, knowledgeable this newspaper that Mrs Goddy-Nnadi’s place won’t be unconnected to the fee’s failure to ask the 2 deputy government secretaries of the company – Chris Maiyaki and Noel Saliu – who’ve additionally spent greater than eight years as administrators, to retire from the service.

However each the Federal Ministry of Training (FME) and the Workplace of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) have saved mum on the difficulty, whilst they’ve refused to answer to PREMIUM TIMES’ Freedom of Data request despatched to them.

Backstory

The eight-year retirement coverage for administrators, which is contained within the nation’s newly revised Public Service Guidelines, 2021, got here into impact in July 2023. It adopted the directive to the Ministries, Departments and Businesses of the federal government (MDAs) by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan.

Fearful by PREMIUM TIMES’ report on the matter on 25 February titled: “EXCLUSIVE: Controversy as prime NUC officers snub eight years tenure restrict rule, refuse to retire,” Mrs Omorodion on the company’s administration assembly on 28 February offered a place paper detailing her findings on the PSR, particularly because it pertains to the eight-year-tenure restrict for administrators.

The place paper, a replica of which PREMIUM TIMES completely obtained, gave the background into the brand new PSR and the round issued by the HOCSF.

Whereas Mrs Omorodion claimed her workplace didn’t obtain a replica of the round directing compliance, she additionally reported that an unnamed human sources director on the workplace of the top of the civil service of the federation mentioned no MDA may deny the receipt of the round.

Resolutions at administration assembly

The minutes of the NUC’s administration assembly famous that “…Administration Steering Committee had interacted with the Performing DHR on Monday, twenty sixth February, following the PREMIUM TIMES’ on-line report, and directed her to organize a place paper for the consideration of administration, after in depth consultations with the Workplace of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Training.”

However after Mrs Omorodion’s paper was offered, the administration’s selections had been captured within the minutes as follows:

“Administration determined that Performing DHR ought to: situation a discover to the director(s) to be affected by Rule 020909, Web page 35 of the Revised Public Service Guidelines; and provoke additional consultations with the Workplace of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to additional make clear any uncertainty concerning the appliance of the Revised Public Service Rule 020909 to the workplace of the deputy government secretary.”

No OHCSF clarification

In disregard for the directive of the administration at its assembly on 28 February, the Performing Director of Human Sources, Mrs Omorodion refused to hunt clarifications from each FME and OHCSF on the applicability of the tenure coverage for administrators together with the 2 deputy government secretaries within the company.

Mrs Omorodion solely wrote Mrs Goddy-Nnadi to retire from the service based mostly on Rule 020909 of the Revised Public Service Guidelines.

“Nonetheless, at Administration assembly as we speak (Tuesday), it was reported that the Director, Institution of Personal Universities (Mrs Goddy-Nnadi) was suggested to retire and she or he responded that she would retire by 18 July 2024. The query is why ought to she choose when to retire when the brand new PSR has been efficient since 2023?” a supply on the assembly who doesn’t wish to be named informed this newspaper.

The supply added: “On the place of DES, the Performing Director Human Sources mentioned she had not sought the clearance as directed by Administration. As an alternative, she repeated that she believes the DESs aren’t affected. After dialogue, it was agreed that the clearance must be sought as earlier directed. Curiously, the Performing ES (Maiyaki) mentioned himself, the Performing DHR and one different will go to the Head of Service to hunt the clearance. That is uncommon and in opposition to civil service observe.”

The supply added that the “normal observe is for NUC to put in writing formally searching for the clearance,” noting that; “a go to by the Performing ES can not relaxation the matter and is maybe a sign of worry of consequence by the DES.”

“This is likely one of the causes Mrs Goddy-Nnadi rejected the decision for her rapid retirement as a result of she believes each Maiyaki and Saliu should be affected by the identical coverage,” one other supply on the assembly informed this newspaper.

FME, OHCSF maintain mum

On 29 February, PREMIUM TIMES submitted a letter to the schooling ministry searching for clarification on the tenure coverage and why NUC, an company underneath its supervision, has refused to implement the rule.

Earlier this month when this newspaper requested the ministry for its response to the letter, officers disclosed that it was receiving consideration.

An official, who requested to not be named as he had no permission to speak to journalists, mentioned the letter was obtained within the workplace of the everlasting secretary within the ministry on 5 March and was handed to the director of human sources on 7 March, who on the identical day handed it to the workplace of the director of authorized companies.

Nonetheless, many weeks later, the ministry has but to answer to the letter.

On its half, greater than two weeks after her workplace obtained the PREMIUM TIMES’ letter searching for clarification on the matter, an official on the OHCSF who recognized herself as Patricia, mentioned the date of the newspaper’s earlier report on the matter which was mistakenly given as 25 February 2023 as an alternative of 25 February 2024 must be corrected earlier than the workplace would react formally.

The correction has since been completed and submitted to the workplace, however no response has been obtained.