Anxiety as NASC moves to reverse 150 appointments, promotions

There is anxiety among National Assembly workers as over 150 of them are to either be demoted or get the sack.

Specifically, the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) has begun a review of all appointments and promotions carried out in the last five years, with a view to reversing those done without following public service rules.

It was learnt that NASC, which is saddled with responsibility to make appointments into the Assembly as well as promote and discipline staff, has received petitions against alleged lopsidedness in many appointments and promotions done in the recent past.

It was gathered that the commission has yielded to pressure from the aggrieved workers to review over 150 such appointments and promotions. There had been threats of massive protests by the aggrieved workers should NASC refuse to take action.

The planned review has, however, been faulted by beneficiaries of the alleged lopsidedness as they drew attention to extant service rules which, according to them, forbid such reversal of appointments.

According to documents sighted by The Guardian, some of the controversial promotions were done by the Adamu Fika-led NASC in August 2017. The current NASC leadership has, however, discovered that the promotions were done against service rules.

It was learnt that some of those promoted jumped some steps in the service and were elevated above their contemporaries. The development led to a series of protests by the aggrieved staff who insisted that such promotions be reversed by the new leadership of the commission that came on stream last year.

The protesting workers are also demanding that federal character principles be followed in the commission’s promotion exercises, alleging that the promotion carried out by the Fika-led NASC favoured his section of the country.

A source in the office of the chairman said the move was necessary to guide against bad blood in the service.

According to the source, those already shortlisted for possible demotion are scouting for top traditional rulers from the North to prevail on the commission to halt the move.

He said the action ought to have been taken months before now, “but pressure is growing by the day to halt the move, which many stakeholders in the National Assembly prefer.”

“If the commission fails to act, we should expect some consequences. Some members of staff are angry and they’re waiting to see if the commission will act or do otherwise before we will begin to see documents flying around,” the source added.