BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – The Staff of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike over what they termed as ineptitude and mal-administration of the current Director General, Engineer Mustafha Maihaja.
The staff, through the Chairman of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) of the Agency, Justin Uche also accused the NEMA boss of inefficiency and poor service delivery since assuming office in April 2017.
According to the aggrieved staff, Maihaja, by his actions and inactions, has grounded major humanitarian and emergency response operations of NEMA offices across the Federation.
Shutting down activities at the Abuja headquarters of the Agency on Monday, the workers insisted that they would not return to work until the management accedes to their demands.
The workers’ strike followed several demands made to the management over the grounding of operations, including collapse of the Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU); unserviceable Emergency Response Vehicles; Air Ambulance; and the Helicopter that cost the Federal Government over $100 million tax-payers money.
With various placards that carried inscriptions such as: ‘Mustapha Maihaja must go’; ‘Maihaja is a Disaster to Disaster Management’; ‘NEMA has no working tools’; ‘Maihaja turns NEMA to personal property’; and ‘Mustapha, we are tired of Aluta, pay our claims or resign. Enough is enough’.
The striking workers’ complaints also include: ‘No hazard allowance, no life assurance cover’; ‘Who will die next’; ‘No promotion exercise’; ‘Give us training it is statutory’; and ‘Maihaja is an electrician, we are humanitarian’.
Similarly, they are unhappy over the management’s non-payment of allowances; refusal to renew personnel life assurance; non-payment of hazard allowances; improper placement; non-promotion of deserving staff; and lack of regular training among other disturbing welfare issues.
The Unions also condemned the NEMA boss’ refusal to reinstate suspended senior officers as directed by the House Committee on Disaster Management, adding that despite several letters in the past, the management is yet to respond positively to their demands, with the Director General ignoring all issues raised and travelling out to Moscow.
Forefront gathered that in a letter addressed to NEMA management dated 20th February 2018 and signed by the NEMA unit chairman, Ibrahim Sa’ad Bello, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) warned that the consequences of not implementing the terms of agreement would be debilitating on the management.
The Union’s letter, among other issues, accused the management of introducing a ‘divide and rule’ policy by using nepotism through the introduction of extra duties allowance paid only to those considered their loyalists.
It therefore insisted that the development has not only polarized the staff members, but also amplified their frustrations with pent-up anger capable of demoralizing the workforce and negatively impacting on their performance.
Furthermore, the letter noted that in the current exercise on emergency food intervention in the North East (EFINE); staff claims (DTA) were short-changed after spending a good number of days in the field waiting for relief materials or could not finish distribution within the stipulated time frame.
The poor office and work environment is also on the table with the staff describing it as no longer conducive due to lack of adequate lighting; non-functional air-conditioners, and drinking water among others, lamenting that the situation is even worse in Zonal and Operations offices across the country due to the insensitive posturing of the Director General, Mr. Maihaja.
Earlier this year, the NEMA’s management and union leaders met with the House of Representatives, where both parties agreed on a peace agreement, leading the workers to suspend a three-day warning strike following a public outcry.
Also, it took the intervention of Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment for the workers to soft-pedal on their hard stand.
