Mack Media credible for its independent view in promoting integrity in the public service and inhibiting of corruption in government establishments bumps into a petition addressed to the Hon. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and office of the Head of Service of the Federation at different time interval. The petition as seen by our correspondent was written by Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) branch, Abuja. Investigation and background checks conducted by the Mack Media affirmed that the petition on the alleged falsification of official records and unlawful regularization and irregularities by the agency current Director of Human Resource Management (DHRM), Ms Magdalene Iseghohimen was submitted on Monday, July 26th, 2021 to the Hon. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu being the Minister of the agency’s supervising Ministry. Mack Media also confirmed that the Hon. Minister is yet to make any stand or order for full investigation on the alleged petition of falsification of official records by the NABDA DHRM. This is not strange owing to the Hon. Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu’s indifference on matters bothering on corrupt practices as witnessed on his stance in the case of former FIIRO Director General, Mr. Chima Igwe who manipulated his educational status to exploit the system for personal gains.     

The Union’s resilient and agitated by the graveyard silent from the FMST&I and also the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan who doubled as the Chairman, Governing Board of the agency, resulted to issuing 15-day ultimatum to the NABDA Management requesting for Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen to step down from her position as the DHRM of the agency and face her alleged forgery indictment. Precisely on Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 the union in living up to her ultimatum threat, staged a peaceful and well-coordinated protest for the picketing of the agency DHRM office insisting Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen must step down. Mack Media was on ground at the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Abuja on Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 during the picketing protest by the Union as private investigator to get on the spot analysis and balanced view on the union’s petition against the agency DHRM. Our correspondence spoke with quite numbers of staff of the agency who pleaded anonymity but bear their minds in an open flow no hold bare conversation as expressed below. According to a high ranking senior staff, she said;

’’Though am not happy in the way the agency is been portrayed in the bad light when

we are supposed to be in the news promoting biotechnology but at the same 

time the agitation of the union should not be carpeted. Imagine two staff employed 

together in the same year to the agency and years later one of the staff 

suddenly become a Director while the other staff still languishing as an 

Assistant Director. Such scenario and many others is pathetic and worth 

serious investigation for equity sake.’’

Another senior staff in her account said; 

’’Am begging you, please don’t mention my name. You see I am 120% in support

of the Union agitation just that most of us cannot join them because of being marked

out for hatred. I am an Assistant Director, yet I don’t have a schedule since 

I became an A.D while the newly promoted Assistant Directors with nothing in 

their brains are given schedules and also selectively choosing these 

categories of staff for special training at the expense of others. Our present 

DHRM is nothing but apology. She fights everybody including those in retirements. 

She’s only friends to those she considered her loyalist and these so called 

loyalists are the people that will eventually destroy her’’. 

Mack Media further investigation according to another source says; ’’Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen (DHRM) is fighting all her perceived enemies especially those that worked closely with the immediate past DHRM, now retired because of the way and manner she was maltreated’’. The source who pleaded anonymity says to some extent Magdalene is justified with her anger against the perceived enemies but on the other hand, she ought to let go of the past, forgive everyone and move on with her life since she’s now the DHRM. The staff also said; Ms. Magdalene is power drunk with the title of the DHRM and the aura of the position is intoxicating her so much that she believes she can do and undo anyone in the agency and this resulted to her present predicament which no one should pity her according to the staff.                

Mack Media reliably gathered that a ’’Governing Board Investigative Committee’’ was set up in August 10, 2021  headed by the DHRM of the FMST&I to investigate the union petition of alleged falsification of records against Ms. Magdalene and as expected in most government establishments with the exception of few, nothing has happened on the investigative committee’s work after over two months of setting up the committee by the Establishment Committee of the agency Governing Board. The development is seen by the Union and from some quarters that the FMST&I might be doing everything possible to suppress the union’s petition and subvert justice as demanded by the SSAUTHRIAI NABDA branch. After much intense push and lobby, Mack Media obtained the petition written by the union with attachments. 

According to the petition, Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen was accused of altering her Public Service official records in the service by presenting two different DATES OF BIRTH. Her earlier documented Date of Birth in the Agency’s old Nominal Roll and the NHIS Registration she filled shows she was born 13/3/1968 while in her other documents including the IPPIS Registration and NABDA current Nominal Roll shows she was born on 13/3/1970. 

The second critical part of the petition verified in the document obtained by our team is the manner Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen rose from Grade Level 7 at the entry level in 2002 to a Director in the agency in the year 2019 while her colleagues that were employed together at the same time of the employment having same qualifications are still at the Assistant Director levels. One of the staff of the agency not willing to be quoted informed Mack Media that in other to address the anomalies after much complain by most of the staff of the agency on the lopsided allocation of grade levels to any staff based on ’’Who You Know’’ in the agency, the Governing Board of the agency sanctioned the conduct staff audit for all the staff of the agency. The staff audit exercise was carried out by the representative of the FMST&I, OHCSF and agency board members and the audit report was concluded and submitted in 2018 to the then Permanent Secretary of the FMST&I, Mr. Bitrus Nabasu.    

Since the audit report was submitted in 2018 which was adjudged to be excellent report by the former Permanent Secretary, FMST&I, Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu, the report is yet to be implemented since then because of some powerful forces in the agency largely affected by the outcome of the report which includes the current DHRM, Ms. Magdalene. According to a staff of the agency, who says;  

’’You see, let the truth be told, our DHRM due date of promotion to the Director is 2023

based on the audit report but fortunately through her allegiance with the past DG/CEO’s

of the agency she succeeded to become Director in 2019 after undue double regularization which is against PSR and reason why most senior staff in the agency

are very angry with her. The audit report implicated many senior staff, but the 

DHRM seems to be most vocal against the implementation of the audit report 

just because she knows she would be demoted and might affect her to refund 

all the salaries differential she had collected as Director instead of a 

Deputy Director’’. 

In a new development, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) which was petitioned on the NABDA 2018 career progression audit report by some concerned staff wrote to the Hon. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation with a memo dated Friday, August 27, 2021 with Ref. No: ICPC/OPS/GBP/OBS/377 requesting for implementation of the NABDA 2018 staff career progression audit report. The Hon. Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu in a prompt response to the ICPC recommendation letter, approved the immediate implementation of the NABDA 2018 staff audit report which led to the setting up of the ’’Implementation Committee’’ for the task.  

However, Mack Media fact finding in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation revealed that Ms. Magdalene Iseghohimen is soliciting strong support from the office of the Head of Legal, FMST&I to ensure the implementation of the audit report is frustrated and repressed. Our observation and checks shows SSAUTHRIAI seems to be unruffled by the new twist coming from the Head of Legal, FMST&I going by the practice in most government organizations. The union is maintaining its ground and according to their petition, the DHRM, Ms Madgalene Iseghohimen manipulated her ways to having second unlawful regularization of Appointment effective from the date of her first appointment which is at the detriment of her colleagues employed with the same date of first appointment knowing fully that double Regularization of Appointment is not in tandem with any Extant Public Service Rules.  

Excerpt from the petition reads that, Ms. Magdalene was first regularized as Administrative Officer I on HATISS/CONRAISS 8 with effect from 1/9/2002 but the Report of the Ministerial Panel on Regularization of Appointment of Senior staff of NABDA held between 23rd and 25th August, 2004 regularized her as Admin Officer I with effect from 1/9/2004 which she filled in her Career Progression Form. The Union however, noted there is a difference in the Ministerial approved date and the date on her letter. Furthermore, the DHRM, Ms. Magdalene enjoyed another Regularization on 20th November, 2006 to Principal Admin Officer on HATTIS 11 also with effect from 1/9/2002 which is the date of her first appointment. 

Surprisingly, in the attached support documents, the then Honorable Minister through the recommendation of the NABDA SSC held on 22nd May, 2008 vide letter Ref. FMST/PARA/126/S.I/TI of 6th November, 2008 Ratified and Upgraded her to CONRAISS 11 with effect from 1st November, 2006 and NOT 1st September, 2002 as Ms. Magdalene claims in her present Career Progression. Meaning, the Ministerial approval was jettisoned. Meanwhile, the Appointment of Ms. Magdalene was confirmed as an Admin Officer I with effect from 02/09/2004. This means only the first regularization is authorized and by the supporting documents as obtained by Mack Media, Ms Magdalene Iseghohimen skipped CONRAISS 9 and 10 to the detriment and subversion of the Scheme of Service. In a glaring facts according to the union stance Ms Magdalene Iseghohimen Due Date of Promotion to the Rank of DIRECTOR is 2023 against her promotion to the rank of Director in 2019. 

Mack Media News could reliably inform that majority of the staff of the agency feels the agency is not heading to the right direction until the full implementation of the NABDA 2018 career progression report is achieved. According to the general staff interacted with by the Mack Media team, it is obvious that even if the current DHRM, Ms. Magdalene eventually had her way in her sojourn to some government establishments including Ministry of Women of Affairs to seek support against the implementation of the report, it would only delay the process but cannot wished away and stop the implementation of the NABDA 2018 career progression report on the long run. The earlier the 2018 staff audit report is implemented, the better for the future of the agency and reduction in agitation on the matter.     

By our final observation and analysis, the headquarters of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) comprises of splinters interest groups different from the union. These splinters groups agitate behind the scenes and usually christened their moves under the guise of CONCERENED NABDA STAFF. These categories of interest groups are far subtler than the frontline Union bodies and willing to keep fighting as underdog no matter how long it takes them to see the implementation of the 2018 career progression report. Mack Media is keeping close watch and will keep tracking update and development as current issues involves from the agency which is presently having a new Director General, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha.