The branch Union Leadership under the Chairmanship of Comrade Anzaku, Peter Joseph having led members of The Union through a two weeks strike action returned and met today at NAFDAC Office Complex Isolo, to discuss the key issues faced by members of NAFDAC. The Union members are crying and clamoring for a review of the state of series of misguided approaches of the current Management of NAFDAC led by the Ag. DG (NAFDAC) Mrs.Yetunde Oni.
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The core of their plight in a letter to The Chairman Federal Area Council stated, "The branch Union leadership writes to convey to the Federal Area Council Lagos, the communiqué reached at the 10th Extra-Ordinary Congress held at the premises of the Agency’s operational headquarters in Isolo, Lagos today 3rd November 2016 and Congress held across NAFDAC formations with the listed resolutions as follows
1. Irregular Awards of Contracts & other Corruption Quagmire
Caterpillar Generator set at the cost of N123,000,000 last year which only worked for six months and got broken down permanently.The truth is that the generator is cloned in which Caterpillar experts declined to touch the said generator because the outside panel is Caterpillar but the engine is not Caterpillar product. This portrayed the agency in a bad light taken into corruption which is not acceptable by the branch union leadership and must be probe accordingly. Also, the antigraft agencies & DSS are invited to the agencies to probe contracts of "Clock-In & Clock-Out Machine" awarded some months ago which cost millions of naira is not working at all, building of Canteen in Kaduna Lab. Complex at the cost of 50 Million naira is an aberration which has orchestrated a high degree of corruption in the agency. Similarly, the anti-craft agencies are also invited to prove further all the laboratory instruments, equipments, apparatus & reference standards were all in a sorry state, out of 100% parameters used for drug analysis as a standard measurement, only 10% parameters are used. The laboratories in the agency are completely death because there are no reagents to run lab. analysis of drugs, foods, controlled substances etc, offcourse, they were been passed without proper laboratory scrutiny. On the issue of renovation of Yaba Canteen at the cost of 11Million naira, the staff of agency cried helplessly over the outragious awards which has no significant value on the life staff. Hence, call on all the anti-craft agencies to probe further to unveiled the contract scam perpetrated by fronters from the FMoH & National Assembly who only sees NAFDAC as a cash-cow in the FMoH respectively. Meanwhile, there are several contacts been awarded to FMoH & National Assembly via those Contract-fronters who run 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8 or more contracts using one or two company names to perpetrate those atrocities in the agency while throwing the whole agency into financial oblivion thus not meeting the demand of the welfare of her staff leading to series of industrial unrest. However, the congress also mandated the Union Leadership to call on all the anti-craft agencies & DSS immediately intercept or probe distribution of 20 appointment letters from employment/replacement exercise of 147 staff done recently in the agency as displayed on both online & electronic media by Hon. Committee Chairman on Health (Chike Okafor from Okigwe South Federal Constituency) which does reflect Federal Character. It was noted with greatest dismayed that only one person is distributing 20 appointment letters to his constituents & not even the entire IMO State or South East. It was an aberration, sham, scam & corruption of the highest order. Hence, call on President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) to intervene in NAFDAC to save it from being getting decayed as we can no longer measure up in our gazetted mandated because the system (NAFDAC) is in a sorry state & has totalky collapsed.
2. Illegal Recruitment /Replacement Exercise
About 147 staff employed recently did not follow the due process of the provisions of Public Service Rules. About 103 staff are employed as senior staff and 44 employed as junior staff with irregular entry point and placement for example, a staff who graduated 2009 employed as chief regulatory officer (grade level 14) and also a staff who graduated in 2010 with 2012 post NYSC experience was place on grade level 10 (Senior Admin Officer). This employment is a shame, unacceptable and a scam. notably, all the staff employed were given irregular placement because of their godfatherism which was unacceptable by the union leadership.
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3. Ag. DG (NAFDAC) Mrs. Yetunde Oni who has been on acting capacity since February 2016 and has destroyed the agency through illegal awards of contract, recruitment and maladminstration. It is on this note that the union leadership is demanding the appointment of a substantive DG and a board in place to help revive the dying NAFDAC from total collapse and then beauracratic bottle-neck of Federal Ministry of Health via the hospital services department (FMoH) that doesn't have direct correlation with the agency's mandate. Also, the union leadership is demanding a direct intervention from the presidency to correct these ills while appealing for re-instatement of NAFDAC as a full Commission to be independent of the FMoH.
4. 2nd Phase of skipping implementation
The Congress mandated the branch Union leadership to call on the State Council to prevail on both NAFDAC management and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to commence issuing of skipping letters for the 2nd phase of the skipping implementation with immediate effect in line with the Industrial Court judgement in favour of JOHESU since 2013 directive or risk an indefinite strike action.
5.Upgrading of staff with requisite qualification
The Congress also mandated the Union leadership through the State Council to as a matter of necessity, prevail on the management of NAFDAC to issue a letter of upgrade/conversion to all staff with requisite qualifications who has obtained approval with immediate effect or face indefinite strike action.
6. Illegal Deduction of salaries from April 2016 – date
The congress collectively agreed and mandated the Branch Union leadership to as a matter of urgency and necessity call on the management of NAFDAC to stop further illegal deduction of our member’s salaries and refund the said arrears (deductions) for the months under affected with immediate effect or face an indefinite strike action.
7.Payment of advancement/promotion/skipping arrears
The 10th Congress mandated the Union leadership to liaise with the Federal Area Council to prevail on the management of NAFDAC as well as the federal government to pay the advancement arrears for 2012/2013 set of staff, promotion arrears for 2012/2014 set of staff and the skipping arrears respectively or face an indefinite strike action.
8. Release of 2015 promotion Interview
The Congress mandated the branch Union leadership to inform the FAC to call on the management of NAFDAC to withdraw the promotion letter and effect skipping with immediate effect or risk indefinite strike action.
The Congress stamped its' authority that as long the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) constantly refused the review of our Job Specific allowance through continuous delay and denial of the only allowance being enjoyed by NAFDAC staff. The congress called the branch Union leadership through the Federal Area Council to insist that unless the conveyance of approval in black and white is handed over to the Union, they will continue the strike action and are ready to forfeit their salaries to address the injustices in the agency once and for all.
The general Congress vehemently rejected any delay and calls to resume work in whatsoever disguise and call on the Union leadership to allow them to proceed on indefinite strike action with immediate effect.
The reaction of NAFDAC staff across the entire country indicates that thier members are resolute and determined to fight the injustices meted on them by the management of NAFDAC, Federal Ministry of Health and strongly kicked against resuming back to work for even one day as long as the contending issues have not gotten conveyance of approval.
Our prayers before President Muhamnadu Buhari (GCFR), is save NAFDAC from getting collapsed as we can no longer meet the demands of regulatory mandate as well as international best practices' template of regulatory frame work from the corruption monsters, lack of political will & maladministration from the current management. Notably, from provisions of the Public Service Rules which states that an Officer (in this case DG-NAFDAC) in acting capacity cannot stay beyond six months except confirmed, but the Ag. DG (NAFDAC) has already spent 9 months on that seat as the most Senior Director based on Presidential directive to hold brief for the DG/CEO pending a substantative appointment of the DG/CEO (NAFDAC) as against the 8-year tenure system been abolished by a circular from the head of service dated 20th June 2016 respectively. The Union Leadership unequivocally demanded her exit & call for the appointment of a new DG/CEO & the Board to be put in place to guarantee industrial harmony in NAFDAC. Mr. President, we call on your reputable to intervene so that NAFDAC under your change mantra would have peace once again.
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