NCC Staff Threaten Legal Action Over ‘Sham’ Promotion Exercise, Allege Favouritism, Fraud, Ethnic Bias

An internal memo exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters and titled “2025 Staff Promotion Exercise: All Levels” reveals that a total of 239 staff members were promoted in the latest exercise.

According to the document, Freda Bruce-Bennett and Usman Mamman were elevated to the rank of Director. Those promoted to Deputy Director include Tijjani Monguno, Janet Asagh, Tolulase Omodele-Rufai, Solomon Igbayue, Yahaya Abubakar, Shafii Ndanusa, Nafisa Usman Rugga, Atiku Lawal, and Bala Usman.

The list of newly promoted Assistant Directors features Sanusi Bawa, Azibanato Cliff-Eribo, Ebinimi Tebepah, Jebosa Ezeamaka, Mohammed Ahmed Lawal, Kolawole Owolabi-Lawal, Nnamnso Ituen, Christiana Aiyenitaju, Abdullahi Kwalli, Lydia Olusan, Idayat Tijjani-Akande, and Yaya Wali.

The promotions take effect from January 1, 2025.

In a statement issued by a group identifying as the “Concerned Staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission,” the workers decried what they described as “a fraudulent, bigoted, and sadistic process” that not only undermined fairness and merit but also contravened established Public Service Rules.

Shoddy Process, Discriminatory Outcomes

The aggrieved staff accused the Human Capital Department (HCD), led by Director Hafsat Lawal, of organising an examination riddled with logistical failures and inequity. According to the statement, some candidates were made to take the promotional examinations for nearly 24 hours, from 9:00 a.m. one day until 4:00 a.m. the next. The HCD later issued an apology via email, acknowledging the poor conduct.

“For instance, candidates who reported for examination before 9.00am were still being examined as at 04.00am the following day,” they said.

The apology letter signed by Lawal, and obtained by SaharaReporters said, “I hope this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to sincerely apologise for the inconveniences many of you faced during the recent promotion examination.

“I take full responsibility for the disruptions caused on the day of your promotion exercise which resulted in significant delays for many of you. I deeply regret that you had to experience these challenges, especially while some of you were fasting and without proper meals.”

“This is not the support you deserve, and I am truly sorry for any distress this may have caused. Your well-being is incredibly important to me, and I am committed to making improvements,” she added.

Beyond logistics, the staff say promotion outcomes overwhelmingly favoured those previously selected for elite foreign trainings and conferences—most notably at Harvard University and the London School of Economics—while hard-working staff with no such privileges were ignored. They described the selection process for training as “cliquish and cronyistic,” fostering a climate of resentment and division within the commission.

Violation of Public Service Rules

Central to their protest is the claim that the NCC unilaterally raised the pass mark for promotion from the 60% stipulated in the Public Service Rules to 70%, without presidential approval or waiver from the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The staff noted that despite scoring above 60%, many candidates were denied promotion. A lawyer representing some of the affected staff has reportedly identified 10 legal grounds to challenge the results and vowed to escalate the matter to the Industrial Court if necessary.

Recruitments Amid “No Vacancies” Claim

The group also pointed out inconsistencies in the Commission’s claim that limited vacancies justified the exclusion of many qualified candidates. Since assuming office in October 2023, Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Aminu Maida has allegedly hired over 100 new staff—including more than 20 at level 14—while denying promotion to 23 existing staff who scored above the newly imposed 70% threshold for that same grade.

Allegations of Ethnic Bias and Marginalisation

Of particular concern is what the staff termed a “blatant disregard for federal character.” In one promotion batch from Principal Manager to Assistant Director, no staff member from the Southeast geopolitical zone was reportedly included. In another batch from Assistant Director to Deputy Director, only one southerner made the list. This, despite claims that assessment panels had representatives from all zones.

The Concerned Staff dismissed such representation as symbolic at best, and potentially compromised at worst.

One striking case involved a highly respected staffer known for academic brilliance and professional performance, whose name was omitted despite consistently stellar results. The individual is believed to be among those organizing to form a staff union in response to what has been described as “tyranny and bad governance” under the current NCC leadership.

Lack of Transparency and Due Process

The staff further alleged that candidates were not informed of the examination criteria beforehand. For example, those in the directorate cadre only learned post-fact that 50% of their score would be based on a presentation and the other 50% on oral Q&A. This retroactive rule-setting, they argue, undermines the credibility of the entire process.

There are also claims that scores were manipulated, with Q&A assessments allegedly used to mark down candidates who had done well in the Computer-Based Tests. The absence of transparency in the grading process, they say, allowed management to unfairly penalize perceived dissenters or those not in favor.

Executive Luxury, Staff Neglect

Meanwhile, the Commission has come under fire for allegedly spending millions on executive privileges, including a ₦400 million renovation of the 8th floor housing the EVC and other top officials, as well as $50,000 executive courses abroad, while denying routine training opportunities to regular staff for two years.

Calls for Accountability and Legal Redress

The staff have called for President Bola Tinubu to replace Maida, accusing the EVC of incompetence and abuse of office. They also condemned the failure of Communications Minister Bosun Tijani to act in the face of “brazen violations of the Constitution and Public Service Rules.”

The Concerned Staff say they will pursue legal and industrial action if promotions are not reversed or adjusted in line with public service guidelines. There are also reports that Maida may be summoned by the National Assembly over the growing controversy.

“It is saddening to see how the NCC is rapidly becoming a zoo, an irritating animal,” the statement reads, invoking George Orwell’s famous allegory to describe what they see as a toxic and unjust system now defining the NCC.

As tension grows, all eyes are on the NCC and the federal authorities to see whether the embattled commission will address the mounting grievances or continue to defend what critics call a “sham” promotion exercise.

A Commission in Crisis: Voices Silenced, Excellence Suppressed

Many staff members believe the omission of several deserving candidates from the 2025 promotion list was premeditated and driven by internal politics. One such high-performing officer—described by colleagues as brilliant and dependable—was inexplicably excluded, sparking disbelief even among panel members who assessed junior staff.

“It is therefore not surprising that the promotion list is made up of people who have been sent on online training, and beneficiaries of conferences, a veiled way of saying other staff members are of no value,” the statement said.

“Those who have brought honour to the Commission and who performed their duties well were not promoted and they have never been on the list of those nominated to attend conferences.”

Several sources, speaking anonymously, said it was absurd for the Commission to claim the candidate failed to meet the newly imposed 70% threshold.

In fact, the staff say at least six names that should have appeared on the Deputy Director promotion list were missing, while six others appeared who, by all precedent and performance metrics, had no business being there. Notably, two highly competent staffers from the Southeast, previously tipped to head the Human Capital Department in the future, were sidelined, allegedly to make way for a northern female staff member who had benefited from a controversial internal vacancy declaration 15 years ago.

Her case, now emblematic of the discredited process, has provoked outrage. She reportedly wept after the exam, telling colleagues she had performed poorly—yet her name appeared on the final promotion list.

Similarly excluded were several top-tier professionals: a professor of telecom engineering with over eight years in senior management, a former presidential adviser, a British-trained engineer who topped the last promotion list in 2021, and the daughter of a former minister known for her work ethic and technical excellence.

These exclusions, staff insist, are not random—they reflect a coordinated campaign of victimisation, allegedly orchestrated by the EVC’s office, the Human Capital Department, and their loyalists. Although many victims have declined to speak publicly, internal sources confirmed that management has tried to scapegoat a prominent staff activist—an ex-adviser to a minister under then-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration—for the wave of negative press. The activist, however, has refused to comment, directing inquiries to the Director of Public Affairs, who is reportedly preparing for retirement and currently attending a continental summit abroad.

“Many staff believe that some candidates who sat for the exam were victimized through deliberate, malicious, and premeditated assessment to ensure they do not score up to 60 or 70 percent,” the statement said.

“Plausibly, the scores sent to candidates were also manipulated because no one was told his or her score after the examination.”

Observers warn that if this trend of mediocrity, favouritism, and suppression of talent continues, the Commission may become functionally irrelevant. They noted that many brilliant minds left the agency during two controversial severance programs in 2019 and 2023.

According to insiders, the 2025 promotion exercise marks a new low, characterised by the systematic sidelining of the Commission’s best and brightest under the leadership of EVC Aminu Maida.

Critics say Maida has paralysed the Commission by centralising power on the 8th floor—home to his office and those of the two Executive Commissioners—and bypassing departmental authority through a shadow bureaucracy led by handpicked aides. At the centre of this setup is his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Galadima, a non-operational staffer and political appointee who now reportedly wields de facto executive authority. Under his watch, the authority of senior directors—some with over two decades of experience—has been usurped by junior officers with little industry knowledge.

Staff question why the directors and Executive Commissioners have remained silent in the face of what they call “misgovernance,” allowing the Commission’s credibility and functionality to erode rapidly since the exit of former EVC Prof. Umar Danbatta.

According to the workers, under Danbatta, promotions were objective, merit-based, and transparently administered, free from rancour or manipulation.

Communications Minister Bosun Tijani has also been criticised for allowing the rot to fester. Insiders describe the current NCC as a “toxic and evil place,” where staff are divided and morale is at an all-time low. The Commission’s committee system, long seen as a strength, is now viewed as a tool for favouritism and exclusion.

Despite multiple complaints and a petition filed by staff with the National Assembly, lawmakers have failed to act—allegedly because Maida has offered jobs to relatives of key senators and House members. This, staff say, has compromised legislative oversight and further entrenched Maida’s control.

Within the telecom industry, confidence in Maida’s leadership is equally low. Observers believe he lacks the capacity to manage such a critical regulatory body.

Issues like declining quality of service, the unchecked dominance of wholesale operators in the retail space, and a lack of effective policy implementation have all worsened under his tenure. According to the staff, initiatives like NIN-SIM integration and debt resolution, which Maida has claimed credit for, were actually launched under Danbatta.

A recent strategic retreat, intended to rally senior staff, backfired—offering no concrete outcomes. The retreat’s only moment of honesty came from the activist, who reportedly challenged the Management’s obsession with external stakeholders and urged them to prioritise internal harmony and staff welfare.

But the event failed to address the core issues plaguing the Commission: division, distrust, lack of communication, and the erosion of due process.

A Call to President Tinubu

The worsening crisis at the NCC has drawn criticism to President Bola Tinubu, who is blamed for failing to appoint a functional, professional board for the regulator, two years after the last board was dissolved. Industry experts argue that telecom, which contributes about 14% to Nigeria’s GDP, cannot be left adrift without effective governance.

The Concerned Staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission demand that President Tinubu, Minister Tijani, the National Assembly leadership, the Head of the Civil Service, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Federal Civil Service Commission intervene.

Specifically, they are calling for Dr. Aminu Maida to be compelled to publish and implement the full list of staff who took the 2025 promotion exam and scored at least 60%, in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

According to them, anything short of this would amount to a betrayal—not just of NCC staff but also of Nigeria’s digital economy and the integrity of public service in a democracy.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) were unsuccessful, as its Director of Corporate Communications, Nnenna Ukoha, did not respond to calls to her mobile phone or to a message sent to her.