| Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechokwu Enelamah |
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has called on the National Assembly and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to probe the activities of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechokwu nelamah over corruption, impunity, high handedness, injustice and nepotism since assuming office in 2015.
Speaking with Journalists, the General Secretary, ASCSN, Comrade Bashir Lawal said the issues is been treated at the National Assembly and EFCC, saying workers are watching and waiting for the outcome.
He said for instance, the minister had succeeded in duplicating and wasting resources through the creation of the Nigerian Office of Trade Negotiation (NOTN) based on false memo or advice to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
He said the minister had also killed the Trade Department and rendered Commercial and Trade Officers redundant.
“We are also demanding that all outstanding payments since 2014 till date be prioritised on first come first serve basis for payments.
“The training and welfare needs of workers must be concluded before the end of May 2019, services of consultants be withdrawn with immediate effect, timely conduct of promotion exercise should be observed.
“All cases of conversion and upgrading pending in the ministry and with Head of Service (HOS) and FSCS should be worked on to ease off delays,’’ Lawal stressed.
Chairman of the Union, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Unit , Mr Okonkwo Onwuyah, said it was also worrisome that the minister had allowed impunity and maladministration to continue in Human Resources Department.
He also alleged desperate attempts to privatise Calabar and Kano Free Trade Zones under the management of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).
He alleged the looting of a private company – Nigeria Special Economic Zones Company Ltd (NSEZCO) – using public funds to take over the functions of NEPZA.
He urged government to reinstate Keftin Amuga as the Chief Registrar recognized by the Head of Service, Federal Civil Service Commission and the Civil Service rule.
The Chairman, ASCSN, NEPZA Unit, Mr Samari Isah, said the association wrote President Buhari last year on the alleged impunity and corruption the minister was perpetrating in NEPZA,
Isah said the authority was established with Decree No, 63 of 1992 now NEPZA Act Cap 20, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 [LN].
He said: “Power was granted NEPZA by section 4 of the Act, and previous administrations’ resolve to give the powers to the agency to handle the implementation of the nation’s drive towards industrialization.
“Such would have been achieved by accelerating the speedy implementation of the National Industrial Revolution Plan [NIRP] through the Special Economic Zones [SEZ] and the attainment of the Economic Recovering Growth Plan [ERGP].
He said the whole Ministry is grounded because majority of the management of the Ministry did not support the Special Economic zone created, adding that the Ministerial Tender Board (MTB) recommendations were jettisoned base on their uncompromised stand of the Management.
“The Minister abandoned the contractors except one DABAJ Engineering Company limited which he has special interest in. The company was paid upfront and had not completed the project in Block H.
“The Minister created National Trade Negotiation Office (NOTE) and domicile it at the NEPC office despite the protest by management of the Ministry and he brought one “Ambassador” Osakwe to head the office. The new office has taken away the duties of technocrats and professional negotiators in the Ministry Bilateral, WTO and Multilateral units.
“You may wish to recall that previous Minister with the cooperation of stakeholders formulated various policies that would advance industrialization of the country such as Auto policy, Sugar policy, Cotton and Textile and enterprises training as well as backward integration which involved stakeholders from inception and adopted by stakeholders. He abandoned these policies to pursue selfish interest. This had stalled development in these sectors,” he said.
Recently, foremost rights group, Human and Environmental Agenda (HEDA) said the Minister has unlawfully diverted the $35 million meant for the Growth and Employment Project, (GEM).
In a petition addressed to the EFCC Ag Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, the Minister is accused of diverting the funds opening up windows for abuse.
The group wants the EFCC to open up the true state of affairs in the implementation of the GEM project
HEDA Executive Director, Mr Lanre Suraj, who signed the petition, stated that the funds approved by the Senate in 2013 to run up until 2018 and financed by a loan of $160 million from the World Bank and £90 million grant from United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).
This project was designed to support about 4000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across Nigeria.
The group said there are strong suggestions that the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, on assumption of office in 2015 made attempts to convert it to an SME fund with suggestions that he earmarked only 25 companies to benefit.
He said widespread reports indicated that the Minister abused the guidelines of the project which requested that the project coordinator and an assistant project coordinator in charge of the project must be a Director and an Assistant Director from the civil service.
HEDA stated: “It was stated in the report under reference that the Minister allegedly deviated from the project terms and brought a former personal staff, Ugo Ikemba, from his private equity company, African Capital Alliance as project coordinator and it was also alleged that the personal staff is not only on contract employment but also on the salary of $5 million monthly.”
Earlier there were reports that the House of Representatives via a motion sponsored by Hon. Mark Gbillah on the floor mandated its joint committee of Finance, Commerce, Industry, Loans and Debts to investigate the allegations.
The Minister was later directed not to convert the GEM project to an SME fund and that the Minister should not renew the contract of his former employee.
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation was also directed by the National Assembly to post a competent Director and an Assistant Director to the GEM project immediately as Project Coordinator and Assistant Project Coordinator respectively, in line with the GEM project frameworks and guidelines.
Responding to the entire allegation, the Senior Special Adviser on media to the minister, Mr Bisi Daniel said all the allegations are not true.
He said: “We have seen and heard about all these things .The minister embarked on massive reform and the people are angry,” Daniel said.