Crisis looms at ECN over DG’s re-appointment

Members of staff of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) yesterday expressed their displeasure over the reappointment of Professor Eli Bala as the Director-General of the commission.
The Secretary, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ECN branch, Comrade Ibrahim Usman, who addressed a news conference in Abuja, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the appointment.
Usman accused Bala of misappropriating the funds of the commission, adding that there was a breach of administrative procedure in his appointment.
According to him, Bala’s reappointment for another term of five years does not augur well for the progress of the commission due to corrupt practices and high handedness in piloting the affairs of the commission.
“For all well-meaning staff of the commission, the last five years of Bala’s tenure as the Director-General of ECN can best be summerised as that of `rust and rot. Aside being unproductive and unethical in industrial relations, there was lack of focus and abandonment of primary mandate.
“Bala has done nothing to deserve second tenure instead the anti-graft agencies should be directed to investigate his stewardship. Hence, his first tenure is better imagined in a wild dream than experienced again for another five years.
“This wallowing mismanagement under Bala’s leadership of the commission and his cronies know no bounds as even operational funds were looted spuriously to satisfy the interest of some official of the Ministry Science and Technology,’’ Usman said.
He further called on anti-graft agencies to unravel alleged mismanagement of international donor funded projects handled by the commission.
Usman further accused Bala of perpetrating unfair labour practices in his first tenure.
Also, some aggrieved staff of the commission displayed placards with different inscriptions, which read: “Bala: We will not allow you to bury ECN after killing it’’, “E.J Bala: You Are Not Welcome’’; “After 29 years, ECN Lacks Appropriate Condition and Scheme of Service’’.
However, all efforts to get the reaction from any management staff of the commission was unsuccessful.