The Chairman, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that over 40 office equipment, workstations and files belonging to NIDCOM staff were still locked up at the Nigeria Communications Commission building, four months after the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Pantami allegedly ordered the eviction of the diaspora commission.
She stated that Pantami used armed security men, including policemen to eject NIDCOM from the offices it was given in the NCC building located at Mbora District, on the Airport Road, Jabi, Abuja.
Speaking on an NTA Network programme, The Diaspora, aired on Friday, Dabiri-Erewa noted that she had complained officially about the ill-treatment by the minister.
Findings indicate that the eviction of the NIDCOM occurred on February 12, 2020, after Pantami reportedly queried the propriety of housing the commission when it was not an agency under his ministry.
Dabiri-Erewa stated that the NCC duly offered its annexe office at one of the meetings held with the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta at Maitama, Abuja, in June 2019.
Subsequently, directives were said to have been given to the Director of Human Resources, Mrs Maryam Bayi who liaised with NiDCOM staff and delivered the building to the commission.
The commission further said that as part of its goodwill gesture, NCC approved and supplied some furniture items which was received in December 2019.
Commenting on the eviction while responding to questions on the lack of office accommodation by her agency, Dabiri-Erewa stated, “The office we got, given to us by NCC, we were actually driven away by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Pantami. Within two days, he drove us with guns.
“The place was given to us by NCC, we all help each other. The NCC said there is a place we can settle in and just as we settled in; I was in Ethiopia when I got a call. I came back from Ethiopia on a Thursday, this happened on Tuesday, by Friday, when I went to the office, there were guns, armed men had taken over the place, I thought it was a joke.
“Here is the thing: I’m a government employee, so is he (Pantami). It’s government business. Do I go on the street and start fighting him? So, I said I would take the higher ground. I decided that I’m not going to raise any dust about it. I have written to the appropriate authorities, I have complained officially.“
The presidential aide further said that the NiDCOM was facing severe office accommodation challenge, noting that the fifth-floor offices in the NCC building from where the commission was evicted are still vacant.
She added, “That place is still there, a whole floor is still vacant. As I speak with you, all our items are locked up (in the building). I don’t have computers, I don’t have printers, everything has been locked up.
“After COVID-19, we are hoping we can get a space and these things that were locked up were personal laptops and printers of our very dedicated staff.”
But reacting to the allegation in a statement on Sunday, the NCC spokesman, Dr Henry Nkemadu, said Pantami could not have ordered the eviction of the commission staff, adding that the NCC had not withdrawn the offer for the commission to use a space in its complex.
He said, “The fifth floor allocated to NIDCOM had to be used to accommodate other departments from the NCC headquarters to ease congestion.
“The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to inaugurate the building other projects relating to the mandate of government.”
But NIDCOM in a statement on Sunday, by its spokesman, Abdulrahman Balogun, dismissed the NCC claims, noting that over 40 office equipment belonging to its staff were carted away from the NCC building shortly after it was evicted.
The missing items, it said, include two units of single face data ports; 24 port patch panel; Mikrotik RB 750G router; Mikrotik cloud router switch; two Headsets with microphones; two Digital PABX; 4u Server racks; Patch cables; HP desk jet 1012 all in one printer, files and documents.
How gunmen chased NIDCOM staff out of allocated office -Dabiri-Erewa
by Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja
THE Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri –Erewa, on Saturday alleged that gun-wielding security agents chased staff of the agency out of an office duly allocated to it at National Communication Commission (NCC) annex building, Abuja by the federal government.
She claimed that the security personnel were instigated by Communication and Digital Economy Minister, Isa Pantami.
Dabiri-Erewa made the allegation on television while speaking on the challenges confronting the agency on the occasion of its first year anniversary.
She said: “As we speak, we don’t have office accommodation. Where we were allocated at NCC annex building, we were chased out by security operatives with gun within two days that we moved in on the orders of Hon. Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami.’
She added: “I was away on official assignment with Mr. President in Addis Ababa when it happened and all my staff members were thrown into the street with all our gadgets, laptops, cameras and working tools trapped in there.
“I have a written petition to complain on this dehumanising treatment by an agency of government against another agency of government.
“Funny enough, the floor is still there unutilised till date. We hope after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we shall retrieve all our property locked in by the Hon. Minister.”
“Despite all these challenges of paucity of funds and office accommodation, the commission has been waxing stronger in fulfilling its mandates.”
The ministry however said it was still preparing its response to the allegation when The Nation reached out to its official last night.
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