FCTA taskforce halts NSITF promotion examination over violation of COVID-19 protocols
The FCT Administration Taskforce on Enforcement of COVID-19 Protocols on Wednesday aborted the promotion examination of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund( NSITF) staff over violation of COVID-19 safety protocols.
Over 1,200 staff of the NSITF converged on the New M & M event center beside Nicon Luxury Hotel, Area 11, Abuja to write the examination.
Some of the NSITF staff from Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi States came to join their Abuja colleagues to write the promotion examination.
The examination was, however, halted by the taskforce, over violation of Health Protection Regulations Act, 2021, recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The taskforce dispersed the members of staff of the NSITF from the exams hall and invited Mr Tesh Kibikiwa, the General Regional Manager, Abuja, who was coordinating the exams for further explanation.
The invitation was, however, resisted by some union members of the NSITF, who attempted to fight one of the police officers and also threatened to destroy the equipment of journalists covering the event.
The Head, Media and Enlightenment of the taskforce, Mr Ikharo Attah, while briefing journalists shortly after, said that the exercise was necessitated by the series of complaints from the staff of the NSITF.
“We received several calls from the staff of the NSITF, in the past three days that they have been invited for promotion examination and that the numbers of people coming are in thousands.
“And, that they will not be able to manage the crowd so, we should ask the management of the organisation to postpone the examination,” he said.
He said that the Taskforce Chairman, the FCT Commissioner of Police Bala Ciroma, also got several complaints over the conduct of the examination.
According to him, some persons also came to meet the taskforce at the Eagle Square to lodge complaints with so many pictures and videos of the crowd.
He said that the taskforce on getting to the venue met a mammoth crowd, but the officer coordinating the exams claimed that they had permission from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“We demanded for evidence and he couldn’t provide it.
“So, we asked them to please disperse and go home but that the most senior person, Mr Tesh Kibikiwa, the General Regional Manager, Abuja, should come with us and make further explanation.
“But to our shock while the entire staff agreed and were very cheerful that the taskforce saved them from contracting COVID-19 due to over-crowdedness, some of the labour union members insisted that we can’t go with him,” he said.
Attah said that in the process, the manager and one other director scaled through the fence and ran away to escape arrest.
He said that the taskforce, therefore, towed one of the official vehicles of the organisation and removed the number plates of the others that could not be towed from the centre.
He said that the owners of the event center would also be invited to make explanation why an event of such magnitude would hold without adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols.
