The association also held a peaceful protest and petitioned the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to register its ‘total displeasure and rejection’ of the reappointment of Prof. E. J. Bala as the Director General of ECN for another term of five years
The Energy Commission of Nigeria staff under aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria – ECN Unit has protested the reappointment of Professor Eli Jidere as the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
In a statement released on June 27 by Mr. Ibrahim Imam Usman, the secretary of the unit, the association cited incompetence and corruption as reasons why Mr. Jidere should not be reappointed.
The association also held a peaceful protest and petitioned the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to register its ‘total displeasure and rejection’ of the reappointment of Prof. E. J. Bala as the Director General of ECN for another term of five years.
The statement reads “The news that greeted renewal of Prof. Eli Jidere Bala’s tenure as Director General of Energy Commission of Nigeria was received by over 95% of the Staff and friends of the Commission with great shock and depression to say the least, and total disappointment in the administration of “Change” advocated and led by President Muhammadu Buhari. It is also evident that, since then, the atmosphere in the Commission is not only glooming and but also mourning for the generality of Staff.”
The association said that it had twice petitioned the president over the ‘brimming corruption, mismanagement, maladministration as well as flagrant indifference to public service regulations and due process orchestrated by the Director General, Prof. E. J. Bala along with some senior Staff of the Commission with active connivance of the Supervisory Minister, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’ but that nothing was done to rectify the matter.
The statement continues “This wallowing mismanagement under Prof. Bala’s leadership of the Commission and his cronies know no bounds as even operational funds are looted spuriously to satisfy the interests of some officials of the Ministry Science and Technology. It may interest Mr. President and the public to know that E. J. Bala left ECN with no single functional printer, photocopying machines and other vital office equipment and the office environment best fit glorified slump littered with thrashes of broken office equipment despite huge yearly budgetary allocation for office maintenance and equipment.”
“It imperative to specifically draw the attention of Mr. President and the public on the need to direct anti-corruption agencies to unravel the grand corruption and mismanagement of international donor funded projects shrouded in secrecy such as UNDP, GEF; particularly the mystery surrounding how African Development Bank Fund of about one million ($975,331.17) United States Dollars Lake Chad Basin Project was expended. Similarly, Millions of Naira had been budgeted and squandered under the National Energy Data Bank Project, a core mandate are of ECN, with still nothing to show for it. Again misapplication of millions of Naira to satisfy the interest of the Minister of Science and Technology and some top officials of the Ministry is another area that characterized Prof. Bala’s first tenure of office.” It added.
The association said that Mr. Jidere failed at his duties during his first tenure as the Director General of the commission and has demoralized a once ‘result-oriented’ commission. It also said that there was no staff welfare under his administration.
The association also protested the reassignment of the supervision of the commission to the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) saying that such will undermined the purpose of the commission. It said “Another issue that needs quick intervention of Mr. President is the controversial reassignment of supervision of Energy Commission of Nigeria from the Presidency to the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST). This is not only indefensible but also at variance with ECN’s core mandates of which the FMST has very little to do with and also not in line with global best practice.”
It, therefore, seeks the reversal of the reappointment and probe of Prof. Eli Jidere, probe the role of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu the Minster of Science and Technology in conundrum in ECN and relieved the Ministry of Science and Technology the Supervisory role over ECN.