Re: A tale of two ladies First, at NIPC

The attention of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) was drawn to a spurious and misleading article by respected veteran journalist and public commentator, Mr. Mohammed Haruna published in the Daily Trust and the Nation Newspapers of Wednesday October 8, 2014, deliberately slanted to cast the agency in bad light and lower its estimation in the minds of the public which it serves. 

When Mr. Haruna wrote an article titled “Making a mountain out of a molehill” in year 2010 in defence of his good friend, Engineer Bello, the former Executive Secretary of NIPC, little did he realize that he would also be guilty of the offence which he lustily accused others of committing in the article.

1. NIPC as a credible and focused institution does not intend to join issues with the author of the story as it would be tantamount to distraction in the face of urgent and more pressing issues to realise the lofty vision of the agency and move it forward into the future. Although necessary, we have been reluctant to respond all this while due to pity for his informants, treasured relationship with our former Executive Secretary, and mindfulness of a proverb which says “Never try to mess up someone’s life with a lie, not when yours can be destroyed with the truth”. However, we are obliged to set the records straight and re-demonstrate the determination of NIPC to remain focused on its statutory obligations.

2. In the essay of October 8, Mr. Haruna raised shop-floor prattling to the status of official policy and inadvertently lent his not inconsiderable voice to an hitherto barely audible campaign of negativity by a minority set of aggrieved staff unwilling to jettison their stuffy, entitlement-laden work ethic, for the fresh air of progressivism now wafting through the corridors of the NIPC.

3. The story titled, ‘A Tale of Two Ladies First, At NIPC,’ amongst other wild accusations, unsuccessfully attempted to discredit the person of the Executive Secretary/CEO, Mrs Saratu Umar, the NIPC as an institution, and a number of ongoing progressive strides and transformative initiatives of the Agency. It is noteworthy that if Mr Haruna had respected the ethics of the noble profession of journalism that demands the presentation of both or all major sides of a controversy, there would have been no need for this rejoinder which aims to correct the deliberate falsehood and distortion of facts concocted to mislead his readers. The said article, betrayed a chauvinistic leaning and a language soiled with political undertones. It evidently achieved little in its entirely bogus, unsubstantiated and skewed analysis; and at best only succeeded in casting shadows on the author’s motives and adherence to the timehonoured journalistic principles of balance, fairness, accuracy and objectivity. This is immediately evident to an unbiased reader. 

4. In his Year 2010 article titled “making a mountain out of a molehill”, Mr Haruna lashed out at the staff of NIPC who wrote a petition against Engineer Bello, citing “spates of sporadic victimization.” One wonders if Mr Haruna bothered to re-read this article before penning his last one, for he would have been minded to abide by his own admonition not to make ‘a mountain out of a molehill.’ 

5. For the record, the Management of NIPC is currently undertaking a number of unprecedented institutional changes targeted at building a strong institution, improving efficiency in the system, curbing corruption, and delivering responsive service to the investment community and the Nigerian public.  Indeed, NIPC is currently undergoing a Corporate Transformation aimed at repositioning the Commission for greater delivery of its Mandate to the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians. As expected, any positive change is vigorously resisted by individuals who had before now capitalised on inefficiencies to perpetrate notoriety.   

6. It is no doubt that the Commission has taken many strides from inception. However, to consolidate on previous successes and move the NIPC to a world-class status, Mrs Umar on assumption on May 26, 2014 conveyed to the Commission’s Staff, her vision to transform NIPC into “a gold standard of excellence on the continent and a world-class Investment Promotion Agency, comparable to any, in the world.”

7. She conveyed the Pillars of this Vision to include; Sound Corporate Governance Practices; Effective Risk Management Framework; Appropriate Best-in-class IT Infrastructure; Enterprise-wide Performance Management System; Standardized processes and Policies; Comprehensive Investment Promotion Strategy, an organizational culture of ‘international best-practices’ and a high level of professionalism; Certification by the International Standards Organization (ISO) to attain process maturity and enhance NIPC’s service delivery, reliability and efficiency. Others are Business Process optimization-engineering and management, for efficiency, timeliness and effectiveness; Accountability, continuous innovation and dynamism to reflect a global and world class outlook; Effective communication and engagement with various stakeholders, as well as staff welfare and motivation. 

8. So, to what purpose was the article? Was it to disparage the NIPC and the transformation initiatives under the leadership of Mrs. Saratu Umar? Was it averse to the anti-corruption stance of the Agency under the new transformative Management? 

Due to space constraint, we will only address the key falsehood by providing the following highlights:

1. Mr. Haruna called her a round peg in a square hole. For the benefit of our readers, Mrs. Umar an Ahmadu Bello University graduate of B.Sc. Economics and a Masters degree holder of Business Administration with specialization in Finance and Banking, has 22 years experience in development banking. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Financial Management [FAAFM], A Fellow Chartered Economist [FCE], a Certified Chartered Wealth Manager [CWM] and a Certified Risk and Compliance Management Professional [CRCMP], amongst others. A pioneer and still, a staff of the Nigerian Export Import Bank [NEXIM], the well-rounded Banker, Economist, Strategist and notable change agent and change manager, constantly aims for the attainment of stakeholder expectations with the ultimate goal of improving the Nigerian Economy. From her first role as an Export Credit Officer in 1992, she rose through the ranks in the Bank, traversing all key departments. She headed various Departments including Trade Finance, Project Finance, Business Development and Advisory Services as well as Human Resources Development to mention a few. Furthermore, Mrs Umar started engaging in investment promotion assignments at least 11 (eleven) years before assuming headship of the NIPC, and also served as speaker in several Trade Missions in Europe, America and Asia aimed at seeking investors for Nigeria. We are inclined to assume chauvinistic bias by Mr. Haruna against the first ever, female CEO of the NIPC, as he ought to know, that as a Technocrat, moreso an Economist, that has had a 22-year development finance-oriented career, our new Executive Secretary/CEO is indeed a round peg in a round hole, and very well suited to handle a role that attracts investment to facilitate economic growth and development. We invite Mr. Haruna to intellectually and professionally engage Mrs Umar and then tell us thereafter, if he holds this uninformed and biased opinion about this woman, who is deeply passionate about the development and transformation of Nigeria.

2. The pettiness of the article was further reinforced by Mr. Haruna’s description of Mrs Umar as “Coming to the job with a baggage.” Yes, he was right, by his seeming standards and sentimental leanings; as Mrs Umar brought along a baggage, comprising principles, commitment, patriotism and passion for greater and common good. These kinds of people, every well-meaning person would agree, our Dear Nation urgently needs more of, to attain its fullest potential.  Mrs Umar has raised the ethical stakes and levelled the playing field for all staffers of NIPC. These may have been wrongly misinterpreted as ‘rubbishing the legacies of her predecessor.’ But it is most unfair of Mr. Haruna, to lump majority of our patriotic and forward-looking Directors with the previously privileged few, {three 3 out of eight-8}who are resistant to change, who were before now enjoying the spoils of favouritism and unethical practices and who are aggrieved from failed ambitions and aspirations. But, we borrow from the time-honoured saying to caution that those who live in glass houses must not throw stones. 

3. On the issue of “Removing the Legal Adviser and Secretary of the Commission’s Board [Council] without the [Council’s] Board’s approval.” Mr Haruna, this blatant falsehood means Mrs Umar has removed herself! For the NIPC Act 16 of 1995 Part 1 (f) states that “the Council shall consist the Secretary of the Commission, who shall also be the S ecretary to the Council.” So much for muck-raking journalism! We advise that statements that border on the sanctity of the Act – generously available on the internet – should be well researched prior. 

4. If Mr. Haruna had bothered to crosscheck facts, he would have realized that the ‘spying operation’ he accused Mrs Umar of undertaking, was nothing beyond a suggestion box placed at the NIPC Reception to give each and every staff of the Commission, a sense of belonging, the right to be heard, and to air their views on the organisation. For further information, section 11.3 of the Staff Conditions of Service is titled, “Suggestion Box.” Here are excerpts of the memo on this issue to staff titled ‘Let me hear from you’ as part of the drive to promote a new tradition of inclusiveness, excellence, transparency and accountability in NIPC: “In line with my commitment to encouraging inclusiveness and teamwork and ensuring professionalism for greater service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness, I hereby rely on section 11.13 of the Staff Conditions of Service to request for the following information from each and every staff: 1. Challenge[s] facing the Commission [if any] and/or any personal work-related challenge[s] militating against a staff’s efficiency and effectiveness; 2. Suggestions on how to overcome this[ese] challenge[s]; 3. Advise for the ES/CEO on how the Commission can be moved to greater heights. All staff are encouraged to seize this opportunity and be part of the exercise. Responses should be clear, precise, honest, objective and without animosity.”   

So, how does this reformative action translate to encouraging staff to write secret memos against each other? Who has committed atrocities and is afraid of exposure or jittery, about an honest and commendable exercise by a leader who wants to be in sync with her constituency? How does this translate to overstepping boundaries or derailing from the Agency’s set mandate or inciting staff against one another, as suggested by the highly libellous article? 

5. On Mrs. Umar encouraging insubordination by publicly humiliating Directors and wilfully ignoring procedure in treating files, employing staff into senior positions without budgetary approval and in violation of the Federal Character principle and engaging contractors and employing consultants without due process. This obvious level of pettiness surely betrays the true intentions of the writer and his sponsors which we choose not to dignify. However, can one of these “senior positions” be that of the Procurement Officer, a Deputy Director seconded to the Commission by the Bureau for Public Procurement in line with the BPP Stipulations, at the instance of the Executive Secretary? This was after her shock at the incredible infractions she met on ground, which included the non-constitution of a Tenders Committee for the seven years of the BPP Act? And yet, contracts were approved by a Procurement Planning Committee? Can Mr. Haruna bring these to the attention of his readers if confronted with factual evidence? For further information she has since assumption in May 2014 been toiling to manage a System that has little or no Policies, Processes, IT Infrastructure, or even ever, a Strategic Plan; with all the attendant consequences that a lack of these entail. We advise Mr. Haruna to verify his information, look carefully at his messenger and investigate their motive and antecedents, before jumping to put his hard-earned name on the line. 

6. For your further information, it may surprise readers to know that Mr. Haruna was just another victim of this orchestrated campaign of calumny by this cabal [comprising the aggrieved Directors and a few foot soldiers, a former Executive of the Commission as well as a high ranking member of the Council] as before coming to him, they had engaged in different tactics of distraction and failed, including forging an unsigned petition as far back as July 2014, claiming it emanated from the Staff Union. This, the Staff Union expressly disassociated itself from, issued a Communiqué to that effect and also requested for an investigation into the forgery and impersonation. The Cabal working differently and strategically to create a ripple effect, also went round offices and homes of highly placed and not so highly placed citizens on a campaign of calumny to misguide and mislead unsuspecting individuals against the person of the Executive Secretary, having failed to instigate the committed staff of NIPC, and to use the Staff Union for selfish aims. It is common place that when you fight corruption, corruption does fight back!

7. In a recent desperate move, after Mr. Haruna’s publication failed them, the Cabal resorted to more derogatory and crude tactics by hiring about 15 thugs, miscreants and hoodlums to stage-manage a protest on November 3, 2014 at the NIPC gate, all in a bid to derail NIPC’s transformation and the Executive Secretary’s noble intentions for the Commission and the Nation. The miscreants were chased away by the Staff of the Commission who invited the Police. If indeed, there was a so-called Petition to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, as claimed in Mr. Haruna’s article, Readers are hereby informed that NIPC has a Grievance procedure enshrined in its Conditions of Service. To date, nobody has come up with any Grievance. The Staff Conditions of Service expressly states as an offence punishable under the Conditions of Service for a Staff to take any Appeal outside the Commission without first exhausting the Grievance Procedure. Readers may refer to the Press Statement by the Ag. Director/Head, Human Resources Development Department, at a Press Conference organized by the Staff Union and Coalition of Civil Society Groups on November 7, 2014 at NUJ Secretariat, Utako, Abuja to denounce the stage-managed protest.

8. In spite of all these futile attempts, the new Management of NIPC remains resolute and focused on implementing its new Transformation Agenda and building a strong institution that will usher in a new dawn for a greater NIPC – one that will be better positioned to maximally deliver on its statutory obligations for the advancement of national objectives.  As a visionary and dedicated leader, Mrs Umar knows a united front is important to achieve progress. She has therefore been assiduously working to unite the hitherto divided staff of the Commission as well as level the playing field, as exemplified by some new initiatives aimed at encouraging team spirit, bonding and unity amongst staff of the Commission.

9. It may also interest readers to know that the stage-managed protest at the NIPC gate came just two [2] days after a first ever staff workshop tagged ‘Leading Bold Change and Transformation,’ held on November 1, 2014 at Ajuji Best Western Hotel Apo, Abuja, for all senior staff of the Commission numbering about 200, as part of the Executive Secretary’s programme for transforming NIPC and carrying along all staff on this journey. This workshop was facilitated by Harvard University-trained Graduate and Fellow, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, who told the participants that every organisation requires two major things to achieve excellence: a Visionary Leader with a transformative Vision and a Leader willing to clear the path of all obstacles to achieve that Vision. He said NIPC was privileged to be ‘equipped’ with these vital tools, as it has a visionary Leader who from the onset had a well-articulated and innovative vision, a Leader willing to clear the path and in addition, a Leader who is ready to go the extra mile to mobilise her group to build an organisation of excellence, and finally, a staff willing to be part of this Vision.

10. As stated earlier, the Vision of the NIPC Leader is to make NIPC a gold standard Investment Promotion Agency in order to advance the country’s economy. She is passionate about this and also about the fact that NIPC ought to be a role model public institution as the window/gateway to the Nigerian Economy.  She takes queue from the fact that the competition for Foreign Direct Investment amongst Nations is quite high, and a number of Countries owe their economic growth and development to Investments spearheaded by their Investment Promotion Agencies playing major roles in this regards e.g Singapore, Malaysia, UAE [Dubai], Japan etc. Thereby NIPC as the apex Government institution mandated to encourage, promote and coordinate investments in the Nigerian Economy must rise to the challenge and do it professionally. For if the Commission is not repositioned and reengineered to meet up with modern trends and skills of investment promotion, it may be difficult for the institution to fully achieve its mandate in attracting more Foreign Direct and Local Direct Investment Nigeria required for economic growth and development, with resultant multiplier effects on job and wealth creation. Especially, in the face of dwindling oil prices and the urgent need to diversify our economy by developing the non-oil potential of our Nation and shoring up other revenue sources.

11. We have taken the pains to respond to Mr. Haruna’s article in great detail in order to set the records straight. NIPC Management and staff are all currently focused on working to provide excellent service to the public. Rather than “making a mountain out of a molehill”, with unnecessary noise and undue interferences that do no one any good – except the selfish and avaricious few with failed ambitions/aspirations, in addition to those who wish the commonwealth all to themselves – we need veteran Journalists like Mr. Haruna to support the ambitious project of this great institution as a tool to contribute in transforming Nigeria.   

12. The Management of NIPC is encouraged by the support of well-meaning Nigerians in its drive towards building a strong institution, a more open, accountable and effective system that will positively and significantly affect the Nigerian Economy and the average citizen. It, therefore, urges everyone to join hands in realising the noble intentions of NIPC.

Without a doubt, there is a breath of fresh air at NIPC. This is a fresh beginning for the NIPC and times demand that all hands be on deck to enable it achieve its goals. It is a refocused and millennial NIPC working towards being a strong twenty first century-compliant organization. 

We invite and welcome you to be part of our compelling story and to join our progressive train. Thank you.