S.E.C Workers Say No To Otteh Again.

Workers at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on Tuesday in Abuja, called for the removal of contract staff deployed to head the various departments in the organisation.The protesting workers came out from their offices carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘No redeployment of Managing Director of Training School against board’s decision’; ‘No to undue delay of application files for months’; No sole administration’, etc.Anti-riot police officers were deployed to the SEC headquarters and ensured that there was no violence while the demonstration lasted.

Muhammed Salihu, the leader of the workers’ union, said that contract staff had been deployed by the SEC Director General, Arunma Oteh, to head the Internal Audit Department and SEC Training School, among others.

“We have 21 contract staff; all of them placed in certain positions that are unbearable and against public service policy,” he said. “It is unheard of that you make such a person a senior manager. You have somebody who graduated in 1994 and you make him a deputy director; we have 21 of them.”

He said the union had written to seek audience with Oteh but received queries instead; adding that the workers were giving the SEC management two weeks to work things out to ensure peace and harmony in the commission.

“It is unfortunate that the director general has decided to adopt sole administration pattern to run the place,” he said. “This is against service policy. Government should intervene in the situation to help develop the capital market in the country.”

John Biggs, secretary of the union, said if the management did not redeploy the contract staff after the two-week ultimatum, they would embark on an industrial action.

“All we are asking is for the right thing to be done,” he said. “SEC is not a different place; you cannot bring somebody who has no competence to head a department. Nobody studies experience in school; you can only gain experience while in service, we have experienced staff here.”

Reacting to the development, Wahid Sikiru, of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), said it was “unfortunate” that the SEC had refused to listen to the plea of the staff union.

He said that the union was registered and has the right to protest against whatever they see wrong in the operations of the commission. “We are here to support what they are doing and we hope that in two weeks, they will come up with something good so that peace will reign at the commission,’’ he said.Neither Oteh nor any of the management staff of the SEC appeared to address the protesting workers as at the time of this report.

Source Daily Times.