For some time now a quiet storm has been brewing at the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, the agency the Federal Government established in 1995 to “promote, co-ordinate and monitor all investments in Nigeria.”

This brief makes the commission an important institutional player in the country’s political economy. This importance is illustrated by, for example, its being listed by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission as a Category ‘A’ agency along with 68 others out of a total of 269 federal parastatals. Only 28 parastatals under ‘Special Category’ enjoy a higher status than those in Category ‘A’. The rest are in categories ‘B’ to ‘D’.

Late November last year, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) petitioned its Chairman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuayanwu, over what it described as the “spates of sporadic victimization” in the commission by its management. The petition, according to the Nigerian Tribune of December 1, 2010, called on the chairman to rein in the management if the commission is to avoid “the unwholesome development from blossoming into industrial disharmony of monstrous proportion that is capable of throwing the Nation into another round of Labour crisis.”

Exactly one week later Thisday (December 8) repeated the same story but this time with the difference that it specifically accused the commission’s long serving Executive Director, Engineer Mustapha Bello, of being sectional and of  sacking or retiring about nine of its directors since his appointment about seven years ago.  

NIPC may have been set up to promote both domestic and foreign investment but there is an unstated assumption that its emphasis should be on bringing in the foreign component. This assumption and the fact that, like most developing economies in the world, Nigeria’s has been a net exporter of capital would seem to suggest that the commission has been less than successful in carrying out its brief.

In fairness it must, however, be said that this is hardly a reflection of the quality of the commission’s board and management since its inception. Given even the best of skills and the strongest will, a country with, inter alia, the huge infrastructural deficit and the poor governance culture that Nigeria suffers from, any organisation charged with the commission’s brief would be hard tasked to make even the most modest impact on its country’s economy in the 15 odd years the commission has existed.    

Given the country’s not so friendly investment atmosphere obviously the last thing the NIPC needs is internal industrial disharmony. This, however, is exactly the threat posed to the commission by the ASCSN petition. 

The association says there are “spates of victimization” in the commission. Yet its petition of November 29, 2010 contained only one example of such alleged victimization, namely what it claimed was the “wrongful” termination of the appointment of Malam Ahmad Isah Ghondi, an assistant director, for sundry offenses, including his alleged insubordination and sexual harassment of female staff, and the suspension of Mrs Olayinka Fayomi, a deputy director, for, among other things, committing the commission to unauthorized financial transactions with outside entities and for absenteeism without leave, so to speak .

Obviously one example alone cannot constitute “spates of victimization.” More importantly the petition did not present the chairman with sufficient proof of victimization of the two senior staff beyond their say-so.

Two months after its petition last November, the association is yet to make good its threat to call out its members on strike nationwide. It should not. Any independent and thorough investigation at both the commission and the outside entities involved of the ASCSN petition would show that the allegation of sectionalism and arbitrariness against the management is untrue, if only because the management alone does not have the powers to hire or promote or sack certain categories of senior staff, never mind directors.

Such an investigation is also likely to conclude that the commission, far from victimizing the two subjects of the petition, has been rather lenient with both in the disciplinary measures it has taken against them.

The NIPC has more than enough problems carrying out its brief of attracting both foreign and domestic investors to be distracted by unnecessary threats to its internal industrial harmony.

On the Jos Christmas Eve bombings

Your concluding statement in your article last week on the Christmas Eve Jos bombing makes you even more dangerous than the bombers.

Tunde Olaleye, Lagos. +2348084259029

I believe people are not killed based on political affiliations or ethnic group, but basically based on religion. Why are the indigenes not fighting the Igbos, Yorubas, Tivs or Urhobos? It is because they are basically Christians.  Christians have killed indigenes who are Muslims, and Hausa Muslims have killed Hausas who are not Muslims, so how is it ethnic? What of the Maiduguri church killings?

You are a good writer and you write meaningful things, but you always get it wrong on religious issues. As a public figure you shouldn’t be biased, though as human you must defend your own. But you should do so reasonably.

Cyril Musa, Jos. +2347054002641

We don't need a sorcerer to tell us who are behind the Christmas Eve bombings in Jos. Some persons have been caught with devices suspected to be bombs but nothing was heard of them. Restoration of peace on the Plateau is beyond the capacity of the state and the Federal Government has no will to do so. When we continue to mask the truth, we only but postpone the evil day. Leave politics out of this. Read our history. It did not start today. Why blame Prophet El Buba for being point blank? How long do we continue the deceit?

+2348037039175

I enjoy your column. I think you are a good man. My worry is that this problem of religious killings is peculiar to Northern Nigeria. There are Muslims in South-West of Nigeria, in Ghana, Senegal and many West African nations with similar historical experiences as Nigeria. But this cycle of senseless bloodletting remains the feature of Northern Nigeria. Methinks it is high time men of goodwill (you inclusive) told yourselves the home truth, period! The north will remain Nigeria's albatross if you don't speak out.

 +2348126115965

I read with keen interest your write-up on Jos and I have to say that, 1. The bomb blast must be political. 2. If the Plateau Governor and the Deputy Governor could be taken to task we shall get to the root of the crisis. 3. The name Jamatul ahlus Sunnah liddaawati wal jihad is nonexistent. Finally the solution lies with the FGN’s ability to honestly handle the case.

+2348051088379

It's an open secret that GJ (President Goodluck Jonathan) is politically naive. He doesn't even know what to do with power. His criminal role in Ekiti's rerun-election is still fresh. Please let's project those that can make a change and clean Nigeria of corruption/indiscipline. Buhari or  Ribadu.

Olu Falarungbon. +2348058287230