SEC board defies due process, Federal Character in staff recruitment

The wave of incessant violation of due process prevalent in most federal Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is also manifesting at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with active involvement of its board members in unprocedural staff recruitment processes, BusinessDay can disclose.

 

The latest in this development was the recruitment of six new staff into the Commission, in breach of due process and fragrant disregard to the federal character principle.

According to available information, one of the beneficiaries of the employment is Abdukareeem S. Ndanusa, the son of current Board Chairman of the SEC, Suleyman Abdu Ndanusa. He is alleged to have finished the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme some months ago and was recommended and offered employment at the SEC as senior supervisor (II).

Another beneficiary is Abdul-Afiz Garuba, the younger brother of Zakawanu Garuba, Executive Commissioner, corporate services at SEC. BusinessDay gathered that Abdul-Afiz studied engineering and he was recommended and offered employment as assistant manager without recourse to due process.

On a close look at the SEC internal memo dated March 12, 2015 and signed by Eno-Otunba-Payne with concurrent signature of Mounir Gwarzo, acting director-general, Securities and Exchange Commission, four other beneficiaries of this illegal recruitment and their positions were discovered.

The four are Hassan Bello Maitama (senior supervisor II); Halilu Salamatu (assistant manager); Gana Muhammad Abdulkadir (senior supervisor I) and Ali Mohammad Dauda (assistant manager).

SEC as a national institution has a laid down procedure for recruitment which includes advertisement in national newspapers, as well as, written / aptitude tests and interviews.

The procedure also stipulates that experienced persons may be recruited into media and Human Resources, which presupposes that they would be graduates of relevant disciplines who have cognate experience.

The internal memo which emanated from the acting secretary to the Commission to the head human resources, and through executive commissioner corporate services reads: “The board of Securities and Exchange Commission at its 79th meeting held on Thursday March 12, 2015, considered the report of the board ethics, establishment and general purpose committee on the recruitment of support staff for the executive management to enable them carry out their duties efficiently and effectively.”

But, the offer letters of employment dated March 17, 2015 signed by Mary Ekwo, head of human resources department, for the acting- director-general, SEC show the beneficiaries were offered permanent employment.

“All the beneficiaries are also from one part of the country, a gross violation of the Federal Character Principle enshrined in the Nigerian constitution,” sources close to the development told BusinessDay.

It was learnt that the enforcement department of the Federal Character Commission, upon receiving information of their intention to conduct the illegal recruitment, wrote to the Commission and warned against such violation of constitutionality and procedure.

“But despite the warning, elements within the Board, under the leadership of the chairman and the acting director general, connived to carry out the illegal recruitment exercise of their relations into the SEC work force and the beneficiaries have actually started work,” sources close to this development told BusinessDay.

It was further learnt that this development has triggered an internal squabble among SEC staff, though they are speaking in hushed tones for fear of losing their jobs.

“Please note that all the beneficiaries of the employment are from one part of the country, contrary to the federal character principle. The executive commissioner, corporate services, Zakawanu Garuba is currently reviewing SEC Human Resource policy to legitimise his objective,” our sources disclosed.

Earlier this year, Gwarzo, the acting director-general, Securities and Exchange Commission restructured the institution with the redeployment of about 40 members of staff.

The restructuring which came after he took over the helm of affairs of the Commission from Arunma Oteh, erstwhile director-general of SEC, led to the redeployment of many of the workers at the headquarters to other departments, while others were moved out of the commission to other zonal offices spread across the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan last month at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) assured the capital market community that a substantive director-general would be appointed for SEC this month (April).