THE armed policemen stationed at the entrance of the Headquarters of the National Examination Council (NECO), Minna, Niger State, for about three days, succinctly gave an insight into the needless power tussle and leadership crisis that was brewing at the outfit.
Sadly, the power play, which was ignited by the Federal Ministry of Education, has refused to immediately abate even after the ministry realised its error and retracted the obnoxious letter that precipitated the crisis.
Beyond the polarised atmosphere within the outfit, the crisis has also opened a damaging vista about one of the dramatis personae and director of finance, Dr. James Ojebode, who appears to have overstayed in the civil service by about six years having joined in 1973.
This unsavoury discovery about Ojebode overstaying in the civil service, and the letter from the ministry as well as that from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) clarifying the tenure of Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Prof. Promise Okpala’s tenure notwithstanding, Ojebode appears bent on headship of the agency
While all other directors have, in the wake of the crisis, pledged their loyalty to Okpala, who still has barely two months to the expiration of his tenure, Ojebode allegedly still parades himself as the acting registrar.
Trouble started in the outfit following the arrival of a letter from the ministry in Abuja. In the January 23, 2015 dated letter signed by the acting Permanent Secretary, Dr. M.B Umar, the Minister for Education, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau, directed Okpala to embark on a pre-retirement leave since his tenure lapses on April 9.
“I am directed to inform you that the Minister of Education has directed that you should handover the management of the affairs of your office to Dr. James Ojebode, Director Finance, who is the most senior officer in your organisation,” Shekarau’s letter real inter alia.
“Consequently, you are to proceed on your pre-retirement leave, which took effect from January 12, 2015 or your accumulated and unspent leave in the course of the service,” he added.
Pronto, Okpala, in a two-page letter to the minister, which copies were sent to the SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and Chairman, Governing Board of NECO, Okpala said only President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed him, could give such directives.
Okpala’s letter read in part, “You will recall that I am a political appointee of Mr. President in the federal bureaucracy and not a career civil servant that rose through the rank-and-file of the civil service structure. I received my appointment from Mr. President based on nomination and neither on seniority nor by passing any examination that requires skills related to my job as Registrar/CEO of NECO in the Federal Ministry of Education.
It continued, “Based on the extant letter of my appointment signed by the SGF, my tenure as Chief Executive Officer of NECO is expected to lapse on the 9th of April, 2015. It is expected that matters relating to my appointment and re-appointment should follow the right administrative channel of Mr. President through the office of SGF.”
In faulting the directive for him to hand over to Ojebode, Okpala said the former was not the most senior director in the council, stressing that: “The most senior officer in the organisation is Mr. John Asuwe, the Director, Human Resources Management.”
In reaction to Okpala’s letter, the SGF wrote to Shekarau stressing that the registrar should remain in office except otherwise directed by President Jonathan.
Anyim, in his January 27 dated letter to Shekarau urged him to withdraw his letter to Okpala, which technically ceded the reins to Ojebode.
The SGF wrote: “The term of office of the registrar expires on the 8th of April, 2015. Prior to that date, he is not subject to removal from office on any account except by Mr. President at whose discretion the registrar holds office.”
The following day, a correspondence with reference number PRT/ABJ/OP/10/249 addressed to the Chairman, NECO Governing Council with the title: “Re: Handing over the management of the National Examination Council,” from the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr MacJohn Nwaobiala, countered the earlier one endorsed by Dr. M.B Umar, and mandated Okpala to continue in office.
“You are to put on hold, the contents therein of our earlier letter Reference No. PRT/ABJ/OP/10/248 dated January 23rd, 2015 directing the Registrar/Chief Executive to hand over the management and affairs of National Examination Council (NECO). Thus the status quo ante should be maintained.”
The above referenced letter was, however, not enough to calm frayed nerves among the workers as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution (NASU), joined forces with hired hands to kick against Okpala’s “refusal to depart in peace.”
Its chairman, Comrade Abdul-Rasheed Rabana, at a press conference he gave, frowned at the registrar’s alleged “blatant refusal” to comply with the earlier directive and quit.
The union alleged that Okpara resorted to lobbying “highly placed individuals, particularly Anyim, to perpetuate himself in office.”
It further alleged that Okpala’s tenure has witnessed “nepotism, impunity and negation of staff welfare,” developments the union claimed have stopped the council from attaining lofty heights
He “runs NECO as an extension of his personal property ignoring decency, due process and accountability. He removed most experienced staff from their positions and replaced them with people from his geo-political zone, in a clear display of nepotism,” the union alleged.
Since the crisis broke out, Ojebode’s presence in official events attended by Okpala has been austere. He was absent at a media briefing to announce the release of the 2014 November/December Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates, was absent penultimate Monday from a management meeting called by Okpala as well as absent from a press conference addressed last Tuesday by Okpala, which had in attendance three out of the five directors. The director in charge of quality assurance, Dr. Ikechukwu Anyanwu, was out of town on official assignment but Ojebode stayed away.
Expectedly, the leadership crisis has taken a taken a different dimension with the discovery that Ojebode has spent more than 35 years in service, contrary to civil service rules.
Copies of archival documents of his personal data filled on December 3rd, 1993 at the then National Board for Educational Measurement, now NECO, indicate that he began his civil service career in 1973 as a clerical assistant (account).
He rose to the position of account officer 1V in 1978, education officer in 1986, finance officer in 1990 and senior finance officer in 1993. He was promoted to the current position on January 1st, 2014.
As the power play continued, Ojebode who still lays claims to the office of the registrar of NECO on February 9th allegedly took over the carport of Prof Okpala. Only the arrival of security operatives on the facility led to the peaceful resolution of the fracas. He also reportedly addressed himself as acting registrar of NECO in a recent interview he granted a radio station.
However, when his comments were sought on the allegation that he began his civil service career in 1973, and by implication had spent over 35 years in service, he declined comment, but not without losing his cool towards the reporters that sought the clarification
“Are you a judge? I say you are not concerned about that because that is my personal life. Have I ever come to you to say ‘who is your girlfriend?’ Please, please, please, for God sake, please leave my office. I say leave my office now. How can you be asking me questions? Who are you? If you want any information go to administration and don’t come to me. Leave my office now,” he fumed.
Uncomfortable with the fact that his office was being challenged from within and in order to clear the air, Okpala at a press conference refuted claims that he would be proceeding on a terminal leave soon, insisting that his tenure as registrar and CEO of NECO ends in April this year, and that all the instruments that brought him to office were still intact.
Okpalla who stressed that he has not handed over to anybody to function in acting capacity, added that the impression being created that he has been directed to proceed on terminal leave even when his appointment is tenure-based was unnecessary and uncalled for.
He claimed that a group of people that are not staff members of NECO decided to embark on a demonstration out of ignorance asking him to proceed on terminal leave.
In putting the record straight, he said, “I got a letter from the Federal Ministry of Education asking me to proceed on terminal leave. I replied the letter drawing the attention of the ministry that I am not supposed to go on any terminal leave until my tenure is up. Then a second letter came and directed me to continue with what I am doing.
