Excerpt from my memoir:
My time at the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, was a mix of both triumphs and setbacks. Among the most memorable low moments were instances where I faced discrimination and unfair treatment based on my ethnicity.
The first incident occurred shortly after my return from a secondment at Katsina State Government, where I served as the General Manager, GM, Katsina State Television, KTTV. A promotion exercise was scheduled, and I was eager to participate. However, I discovered that my name had been omitted from the list, despite being overdue for promotion by two years. When I approached the Director of Human Resources, hoping for a simple error, I was shocked to learn that it was a deliberate act. He refused to include my name, instructing me to wait until the following year. Despite my citing the Public Service Rule, which stated that I should be promoted alongside my colleagues upon resumption, he remained obstinate.
The situation became even more disheartening when I noticed that several individuals invited for the promotion exam were on sabbatical leave abroad, a violation of the Public Service Rule. These individuals shared the same ethnic background as the director. Feeling dejected, I confided in my immediate boss, Ladan Salihu, who sympathized but didn't promise any action.
Fortunately, a meeting of the Expanded Board of Management was scheduled in Maiduguri before the promotion exercise. My boss, along with two other members, Awwalu Salihu and Mujtaba Sada, discussed my situation and other irregularities orchestrated by the director. As a result, the Director-General, Dr. Silas Yisa, canceled the approval for those on sabbatical leave and secondment to attend the exam until their official return.
On the day of the promotion exam, I had given up hope until a member of the Board of Management, who later became the DG of NBC, informed me that I would be allowed to take the exam. It was ironic that the same person had denied me and others promotions for ten years when he later became the DG, NBC.
I took the exam without adequate preparation, having been away from NBC on secondment for over two years. Miraculously, I passed. The director who had omitted my name from the promotion list visited my office to inform me that I had passed and was now an Assistant Director. However, he demoted me by one year on the promotion letter. Despite my attempt to rectify the error, he refused to make the correction.
I escalated the issue to the DG, but before any action could be taken, the DG was replaced by an Acting DG, Bayo Atoyebi. I lodged a petition with him as well, but no action was taken until a substantive DG was appointed. It took several years for the new DG to address the issue, but by then, he had relocated me to a position without any vacancy for progression. Consequently, I remained on the same grade level for ten years, along with several others, as the DG believed NBC was "top heavy" and refused to create vacancies.
It was only when the new DG, Emeka Mba, came into office that the situation changed. He created the necessary vacancies and promoted us. Interestingly, Emeka Mba belonged to the same ethnic group as the director who had discriminated against me, highlighting the fact that good and bad individuals exist in all ethnicities.
One of my staunch supporters during the Maiduguri EBOM meeting was Ladan Salihu, the former DG of FRCN, along with Awwalu Salihu and Mujtaba Sada, my other bosses.
These are the unforgettable low moments I experienced at NBC. It's worth noting that even after his retirement, the director who almost denied me promotion sought my assistance at NBC, and I graciously obliged.
Tags
Articles