News
Disquiet at NITDA over Employment, Sack of 245
Employment and sack of over 245 staff of the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA) is generating controversy between the affected staff and Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications, according to Daily Trust.
The 245 staff “duly” employed in November 2015 were summarily asked to stay off work on the orders of the minister after the agency had asked them to open salary accounts and choose their pension administrators
But Barrister Shittu told Daily Trust yesterday that the staff were employed through the back door by a former NITDA Director-General.
Kabiru Abubakar Mustapha, the spokesman for the aggrieved staff, Kabiru Abubakar, said NITDA duly employed them because the agency got approval from the ministry’s former Permanent Secretary, Dr Tunji Olaopa and the Federal Character Commission (FCC) before recruiting them.
He gave Daily Trust the copies of documents showing the FCC’s purported approval of their employment.
“How can the minister say we were employed illegally when the ministry and the Federal Character Commission duly approved our employment? Why is the minister playing politics with our lives; the fact that they have problem with Peter Jack should not make us bear the brunt?” Mustapha, who was employed as a Higher Executive officer 1 on CONITSAS 8 step 2, said.
He said they had met with Dr Vincent Olatunji, acting DG of NITDA, twice but he told them only the minister could rectify their employment.
Mustapha said the minister did not show any concern when they went to him.
He disclosed that the 245 staff would stage a peaceful protest at the Federal Secretariat Abuja today to remind the authority of their problem.
“Why would the government that promised employment for youths go ahead to cancel same employment created by its own agency? The former NITDA Director- General got approval from the Ministry of Communications to recruit and the Federal Character Commission approved the employment of 245 of us who scaled through the interview hurdle”, he said.
Speaking with Daily Trust on the issue, Shittu said the government cancelled their appointments because it was hurriedly done by the immediate past NITDA DG who ahead with the recruitment despite directive to the contrary.
He said the ministry might reconsider their case after the substantive DG had been appointed at NITDA.
EFCC
The African Development Bank Group last week approved an investment of €6.5 million in the Saviu II fund in order to support technology start-ups through their seed phase and first institutional fundraising, mainly in French-speaking Central and West Africa.
The Bank will invest €4.5 million as equity and €2 million as a first-loss hedging tranche on behalf of the European Commission, under the Boost Africa Programme.
This participation of the Bank Group will enable the Saviu II fund to give priority to companies with a strong technological or digital component.
Saviu II, the second investment vehicle of Saviu Partners, plans to invest between €500,000 and €3 million in about 20 technology or technology-oriented business-to-business start-ups in the seed phase or carrying out first institutional fundraising.
The Saviu II venture capital fund aims to make at least 60% of its commitments in the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa: Côte d ‘Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The fund can also co-invest in promising technology companies in East Africa that have a strong team and business model, and whose strategy includes entering the market in French-speaking West African countries and establishing a strong presence there.
In addition, the fund will devote a dedicated envelope to pre-seed investments, focusing on minority equity investments, usually in co-investment with studios, incubators or other ecosystem partners.
Nigerian Government has signed a $1.3 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) via the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) to fund an alumina refinery, national geoscience mapping, and a strategic investment vehicle for mining growth.
Special Assistant to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, said the refinery will process one million tonnes of bauxite yearly using a modern Bayer process, powered by an on-site gas-fired cogeneration plant.
Minister Dele Alake called it a transformative milestone boosting GDP, aligning with reforms that improve investment climate, regulations, and licensing to attract private capital. He directed agencies to fast-track permits.
The 20-year project at 95% utilization eyes 19 million tonnes total output, $1.2 billion annual GDP addition, $25 billion economic impact, and $8 billion forex earnings, per feasibility studies.
SMDF Executive Secretary Fatima Shinkafi termed it the agency’s biggest funding deal, supporting value-addition policy.
The partnership extends to geoscience mapping for mineral data, de-risking exploration, and a joint vehicle for mining assets.
Permanent Secretary Engr. Farouk Yabo praised the reforms. Shinkafi signed for government; AFC’s Franklin Edochie for the corporation, witnessed by AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu.
Tomori positioned it as Nigeria’s largest private mining investment and FDI magnet.
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