CAC Registrar accused of abusing office, carrying out recruitment exercise without FCC guidelines, stalling staff promotion

CAC Registrar accused of abusing office, carrying out recruitment exercise without FCC guidelines, stalling staff promotion- officials allege

…Registrar says allegations unfounded

Chigozie Ikpo, Abuja

Less than six months after its former Registrar-General (RG), Abubakar Garuba Alhaji was relieved of his position, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is in the news again over allegations bordering on abuse of office, among others leveled against the new RG, Ishaq Hussein Magaji, SAN by the officials of the Commission.

Magaji was called out for his inability to constitute a new Board, poor handling of staff welfare and emoluments running into billions, delayed promotion, and other allegations.

The RG was also alleged to have carried out new recruitment without following due process or the stipulated Federal Character Commission guidelines during the exercise.

Craving anonymity, one of the officials who spoke with this medium said although Magaji came with a four-point agenda at inception, he regretted however that none has been implemented till today.

Findings however indicated that the last time promotion of staff was carried out at CAC was 2020 even when some of them claimed to have scored above the cut off marks. Our findings were later confirmed by another insider.

Multiple sources, who spoke to our Correspondent, said the promotion exercise in question was captured in the budget while the employment and recruitment exercise was neither advertised nor budgeted for.

“The promotion exercises were captured in the budget while the employment or recruitment exercise was not advertised or budgeted for.

“The HR, who is supposed to know better is not helping matters by not advising or guiding the Registrar properly on welfare policy and other issues like payment of housing, leave and other allowances and its payment as at when due.

“Since 2020 till 2022, many of us passed above the cut off marks but the previous Registrar General wickedly stood it down.

“This present one even wept over it, claiming it was an injustice which he promised to correct only for him to renege,” a senior official who does not want to be quoted told this medium.

Meanwhile, another official who also craved anonymity because he was not authorized to speak argued: “We just realized he said he was advised by the HR that the 2021 promotion has been concluded whereas it is not so.

“2020 was not even ratified by the board but AG Abubakar only took it to the then Board chairman, Late Seriki. Ever since, there has not been any board in place.

“The supervising ministry okayed him (RG) to do the needful but he said due to the government’s new financial policy cum deduction of 50% from the commission’s revenue that he could not carry out the exercise.”

Speaking further, the source said, “He has started new employment where over 100 new graduates would be employed and they are mostly from his home state in Bauchi. None of them came from South West or North Central.

While also expressing his grouse over the development, the source further noted with dismay the RG current lifestyle amidst cash crunch.

Recall that in 2017, CAC staff under the auspices of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPTRE) protested over poor welfare.

Meanwhile, when this medium reached out to the Registrar General to hear his angle, and he answered calls made to him by our reporter seeking his comments.

Reacting, Magaji denied the allegation, saying the Commission followed due process and got relevant approval before embarking on the recruitment exercise.

On welfare, he told this medium that the Commission did not owe any staff salary and even allowances, insisting that they have been paid up till April.

“As a Senior Advocate, I should not be seen as flouting established regulations and procedures in the line of duty.

“I ensure that there is requisite approval from relevant authority in all I do. I will also not do anything that would be against the International labour Charter or throw any staff into the labour market.

“We pay salary regularly and we do not owe anybody. No claims of any staff that is not attended to.

Magaji explained further: “We also follow to the letter the Mr President directives that anything that requires board approval get the parent ministry approval.” He said.

“More importantly, our recruitment exercise was to bring in more staff to enhance our customer service base and it had the Federal Character Commission team in attendance as well as the Ministry of Trade and Investment after which we were given a compliance certificate. If they were not satisfied with the spread, the compliance certificate won’t be issued.

“Just recently, as a way of raising the standard of staff welfare, we attended to issue of leave allowance, paid up to date, ensured health insurance scheme is working fine for everyone, spent N400 million on operational vehicles to ease staff movement among others. So, please disregard the allegations.” he said.