Joint unions within the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) have objected to Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s characterization of certain agency board members as executive board members in his announcement.
In a letter addressed to Akpabio and made available to journalists in Abuja, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) expressed their stance.
It is worth noting that when Akpabio announced the formation of a new FERMA board on Wednesday, certain members were referred to as executive board members instead of the customary board members.
The correspondence, which was co-signed by Mr. Abdulmumin Idris, Chairman of the AUPCTRE, and Mr. Paul Onimisi, Chairman of the ASCSN, characterised the senate president’s declaration as disheartening and demoralising for the agency’s personnel.
“The practise of appointing certain individuals to executive boards with the intention of eventually assuming responsibility for departmental operations is in violation of the FERMA Act and detrimental to the professional development of agency employees.”
“It will hinder the agency’s ability to fulfil its mandate.”
“The selection of certain individuals for executive board memberships violates Section 2(2) of the FERMA Act, as amended, and the policies governing career advancement within government agencies.”
“It is demoralising and counterproductive for career officers, as the intention is for executive board members to assume control of departments currently supervised by career officers.”
“We respectfully request that you, esteemed Senate President, verify the designation of board members in adherence to the legislation that established the board.
“Any alternative course of action would set off a sequence of occurrences that would impede the Agency’s operations, derail its intended purpose, and dishearten its personnel,” the labour unions insisted.
Executives of the unions stated that the direct result of appointing executive members of the board as department heads was that the organisation would be derailed due to employee opposition.
The union leaders emphasised that the establishment of a board within a board was a specific negative consequence of the contraption of appointing some board members as executive board members.
They further stated that doing so would cause the agency to deviate from its intended purpose.
“The staff of the agency is collaboratively striving to fulfil its mandate in their sacrosanct service to the nation.”
“In order to prevent the impending anarchy that this contraption may cause, an urgent clarion call is hereby issued for the immediate reversal of this illegality,” the unions wrote in the letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu and highlighting the anomaly.
“In accordance with the agenda of renewed optimism put forth by the President, we formally request that the appointees be sworn in as board members rather than executive board members…”
The joint unions threatened, “Any action in opposition to the provisions of the FERMA (Establishment Act 2002) as amended will be met with resistance.”
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