Key directors with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) Abuja have described as false, malicious and misleading, reports attributed to the executive secretary of the commission, Mrs. Saratu Umar, saying that they were indicted by a recently concluded audit report of the agency’s account books.
The directors, represented by Mr Amos Sakaba, Mrs Ladi Katagun and Mr James Ebuetse, who made the rebuttal during a courtesy call to the headquarters of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group yesterday, also advised that the federal government should “ensure systemic compliance to due process in structuring and repositioning the commission in line with international best practices in view of its importance to the country’s economy, and especially in the face of dwindling revenue”.
The directors, who challenged the executive secretary to publish any such report allegedly indicting them, said that while not joining issues with Mrs Umar, what was of paramount interest to them as major stakeholders who have put their all into making a success of the commission for years out of passion and patriotism queried why a grossly incompetent and inept person be foisted on the commission, warning that the place, which has been run aground in her almost one year as executive secretary prompted the reported protest by the agency’s staff earlier in the week.
It will be recalled that last Tuesday, the executive secretary of the commission, Mrs Saratu Umar, while addressing media on protests by staff of the commission demanding for her removal and shutting the office headquarters in Abuja, stated that some key directors of the commission “who were indicted by audit findings over misappropriation of agency funds were behind the protest”, adding that the management of the commission was “looking at the possibility of increasing workers’ salary since the NIPC is now earning internally generated revenue”.
However, the representatives, who argued to the contrary, stated while charging reporters to engage in extensive investigation into her activities both at Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), where she earlier served as assistant general manager before being appointed to the commission as executive secretary, and her tenure so far at the commission, added that “we don’t want sink with someone who wants to sink, we rather want to stay afloat with the commission; what we know for a fact is that no panel was ever constituted, let alone indicting us as directors of the commission.
“We are therefore appealing very passionately that her malicious remarks be written off as a desperate attempt to appear relevant in the scheme of things at the commission about which she knows nothing. We also appeal to both the outgoing and incoming government to beam its searchlight on the activities of the commission by way of an inquiry to find out the many lapses that have been keeping it back as an organ of government charged with the responsibility of promoting investment in the country,” the spokesperson said.
The directors disclosed that the “minister in charge of the commission has issued not less than ten queries to the ES, bordering on insubordination, disregard for due process and lack of capacity to do things right.
According to them, “We are taking the trouble to come out of our cocoons because we are interested in the future of the NIPC. Even if we leave, we don’t want to hear of a defunct NIPC as is the case with some other organisations with capacity-deficient CEOs
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