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Nigerian Institute Of Sports DG Philip Shaibu Accused Of Running Agency Like Personal Empire Amid Illegal Staff Transfers, Promotions Freeze
Nigerian Institute Of Sports DG Philip Shaibu Accused Of Running Agency Like Personal Empire Amid Illegal Staff Transfers, Promotions Freeze
CORRUPTION
The Nigerian Record
7/23/20264 min read
Aggrieved staff members of the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS), have accused the Director-General of the institute, Philip Shaibu, of running the federal agency like a "personal empire" through alleged illegal staff transfers, controversial recruitments, arbitrary promotions, and the sidelining of established civil service procedures.
Detailing their grievances, the concerned staff alleged that Shaibu's administration has been characterised by abuse of power, disregard for the Federal Character principle, victimisation of employees, and the erosion of the institute's institutional structures.
The aggrieved staff alleged that the NIS DG recently employed about 150 staff members without complying with the Federal Character principle, alleging that many of the new recruits were drawn from Shaibu's home state and, in several cases, his local government area.
They further alleged that some newly recruited officers were immediately placed in senior positions above more experienced employees, citing the appointment of a newly employed lawyer to head the institute's Maintenance Department despite lacking the requisite background.
"Some newly employed staff are wrongly placed above their ranks and put in wrong designations e.g., a newly employed young lawyer heading the Maintenance Department," one of them said.
The staff also accused Shaibu of deliberately weakening the institute by transferring experienced officers to newly created zonal offices that allegedly lack offices, equipment, and operational capacity.
According to them, the affected officers were neither paid travel allowances nor the mandatory 28-day mobilisation allowances, leaving them stranded and facing severe financial hardship.
"New zones have no offices, no equipment. Yet he posts people there and claims that they are functioning. This he does as punitive measures," they said.
"Staff posted were not given their travel allowances, nor 28 days mobilisation fees. They are undergoing untold hardship. The zonal offices have never taken off contrary to all the propaganda being peddled in the online newspaper by his media aide Ben Ogbemudia."
The aggrieved staff claimed that although the Director-General publicly portrays the new zonal offices as operational, they exist only on paper.
They also alleged that the institute's Registry Department has effectively been taken over by consultants appointed by Shaibu, who allegedly perform functions ranging from staff audits to maintenance responsibilities traditionally handled by career civil servants.
"The DG keeps threatening staff and also dishes out queries for trivial issues e.g. Dr Sam, Mrs Salome, Mr Dankande, to mention just a few," they alleged.
Another major allegation concerns the alleged suspension of promotion processes within the institute.
According to them, promotion exercises already conducted have allegedly not been approved, while staff due for promotion this year remain uncertain about their career progression because the Director-General has reportedly refused to act on the recommendations.
"He has refused approval of staff due promotions. Those whose promotion exercise has been conducted, he refused to confirm. Those that are due this year don't even know their fate," they alleged.
The workers further claimed that routine administrative requests are now routinely marked "Kept in View (KIV)," resulting in delays in official activities and bringing the institute's operations almost to a standstill.
They alleged that the institute now suffers from chronic shortages of electricity, water supply, photocopying materials and other basic working tools required for daily operations.
The workers also accused Shaibu of denying staff opportunities for training, workshops and professional development, despite allegedly presenting a different picture to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
"Since he assumed office, no staff has been allowed to go on workshops or any form of self improvement course under the auspices of NIS except for the fake impressions he gives to them at the Head of Service (HOS) Office," they said.
"It is against the civil service rule to post any director on level 16 and above away from the headquarters. This he does freely. In fact, transfer to a distant, uncomfortable zone is now a tool for punishment."
They also questioned his decision to operate primarily from Abuja instead of Lagos, which they described as the operational headquarters and nerve centre of the Nigerian Institute of Sports.
According to the aggrieved staff members, senior career staff have allegedly been sidelined from key decision-making processes, while consultants now accompany the Director-General to management meetings and official engagements with senior government officials.
"Staff, especially the senior members have been relegated to the background. He uses only consultants to operate and even takes these so-called aides to Management meetings," they said.
"He even takes the consultants to see high ranking government officials, leaving out the direct staff members. The Management Committee has been dissolved.
"He takes decisions on his own. This is illegal and therefore, null and void. He even signs MOU with organisations without the consent of the management members since he has dissolved them."
The staff members also questioned several recent appointments, including the recruitment of an allegedly inexperienced librarian who they claimed lacked the qualifications and academic publications stipulated in the vacancy advertisement.
Other allegations include the appointment of a non-specialist as a Senior Nursing Officer in Edo State, the placement of newly recruited officers over long-serving staff, and the appointment of an allegedly inexperienced individual to head one of the institute's zonal offices.
According to them, "He placed new staff members that are not yet confirmed above old staff. For instance, Mrs Salome is on level 15 and she is being headed by a newly employed lower officer at Abuja.
"Also, he recruited someone totally inexperienced from his state to be the Institute Librarian when there is a highly experienced and effective hand within the system."
They questioned, "What about recruiting a non specialist to Edo State as Senior nursing officer?
"The person he posted to Edo State to head the zone is a new man who works with Edo State College of Education that he was given the rank of Senior Lecturer. Another one is the posting of Head of Legal Unit to Adamawa.
"Recent employment of Librarian who has zero working experience in Academic Library and No academic publications as required in the advert."