Disquiet in NCC over alleged breach of federal character in promotion exercise

Some aggrieved employers of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have accused the telecoms regulator of breaching the federal character law in its recent promotions. 

TheCable understands that they have petitioned the national assembly, the head of service of the federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), and the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

They alleged that the NCC, under the leadership of Aminu Maida, the executive vice chairman, has committed “flagrant noncompliance” with provisions of sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the constitution on federal character and fair representation in public institutions.

However, in its response sent to TheCable, the commission maintained that no law was broken in the exercise.

The “concerned staff” said there are “verifiable internal records and the promotion outcomes that clearly demonstrate that the 2025 staff promotion exercise conducted by the NCC did not reflect a fair and equitable distribution of promotional opportunities across Nigeria’s states and geo-political zones”.

“Certain states and zones have been either grossly underrepresented or entirely excluded, while others are overrepresented, leading to an unconstitutional imbalance that undermines national unity and equity,” they alleged in the petition.

“While merit remains a primary criterion for promotion, the Federal Character principle requires that the selection process also considers factors like regional representation and ethnicity to ensure a balanced workforce,” the petition reads.

‘EIGHT OUT OF NINE NEW DEPUTY DIRECTORS ARE NORTHERNERS’

Citing “credible information”, the petitioners insisted that the NCC violated constitutional directives of the federal character by conducting the promotion exercise in a manner that disregarded fair representation across states and geopolitical zones, leading to the marginalisation of qualified personnel from other parts of the country.

For promotion from assistant director to deputy director, 24 staff members were reportedly qualified but only nine were promoted.

“Eight (8) out of the nine (9) staff promoted are from the Northern Region of the country and only one from the Southern Region (South-West) despite the fact that there are candidates from other geopolitical zones who scored above the 60% pass-mark stipulated in the 2021 Public Service Rules. The South-South and South-East geopolitical regions were conspicuously omitted and short-changed in the promotion exercise,” they alleged.

The petitioners further alleged that for promotion from the position of deputy director to director, four members of staff were qualified but only two were promoted.

“One staff from the South-South and one from the North-East Region were promoted. However, two (2) candidates one from the North West and one from the North East were not promoted despite the fact that there is vacancy in their respective geopolitical zones and (they) scored above the 60% pass-mark stipulated in the 2021 Public Service Rules. The North-West was clearly omitted and short-changed in the promotion exercise,” they alleged.

The promotions of assistant directors and principal managers were also faulted as having not complied with civil service rules.

‘NCC VIOLATED ALL THE RULES’

“It is pertinent to mention that the promotion interview was conducted in the most inhuman conditions and during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Christian fasting season of Lent,” the document further reads.

“Staff were forced to write exams outside the normal working hours, from 9.00am on Thursday 6th March, 2025 to 4.00am the next day, Friday 7th March, 2025, which grossly undermines the credibility of the process.”

The petitioners said the commission, through its director of the human capital department, “issued an unreserved apology letter via email to staff for the horrible and deplorable conditions that the exams were conducted”.

“It is appalling to note that a commission that prides itself as a world-class organisation could use a lottery system (game of chance) in determining and assessing staff for promotion,” they said.

“Staff were made to select questions from a basket by lucky-dip and answer the questions.”

This, the petitioners said, has led to low staff morale and a decline in institutional performance.

The petitioners also asked Esther Walson-Jack, head of civil service, to direct the NCC to immediately rectify any anomalies identified in the “distribution of promotional opportunities across states and geopolitical zones in line with constitutional requirements”.

Additionally, they requested that the NCC be mandated to develop and submit a compliance report outlining its commitment to uphold equity and representation principles in future human resource actions, appointments, recruitments, and promotions.

NCC: PROMOTIONAL EXAM WAS FAIR

However, Nnenna Kalu, NCC’s head of corporate communications, said the promotion exams were conducted for all cadres of staff eligible for a promotion in the agency.

She said the exercise was marked by “our commitment to integrity, fairness, and the needs of the industry for competent professionals to drive national objectives”.

“In line with the Public Service Rules, the Commission’s organizational structure and manpower plan, each cadre had a defined number of vacancies, representing the number of personnel the Commission could accommodate at each level,” Kalu said in a statement.

“Staff who did not meet the required cut-off, or who passed but for whom vacancies were no longer available at their cadre, could not be promoted.

“Furthermore, the interview panels for staff were composed of credible management staff (drawn from each of the six (6) Geo-Political Zones), in addition to independent external members and representatives from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), who were present to provide oversight and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.”

Kalu said the promotion process was outlined in a “clear, objective scoring system”, communicated to staff before exams, with predetermined weightings assigned to each component.

The NCC official added that the panellists did not make arbitrary decisions, adhering to the commission’s established scoring framework.

Since the conclusion of the exercise, she said all participants have received a summary of their performance to help them identify areas for improvement before the next promotion exercise.

The NCC spokesperson said they have also been encouraged to reach out to the commission’s human capital department to express any concerns they might have.