The Ministerial Taskforce on Enforcement of COVID-19 Protocols in Abuja Nigeria’s capital has stopped the promotion examination of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund ( NSITF) staff over violation of Health Protection Regulations Act, 2021, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Voice of Nigeria gathered that over 1200 staff of the NSITF converged at the New MM event centre beside Nicon Luxury Hotel, Area 11 Abuja to write the promotion examination which was aborted by the taskforce to avoid further spread of COVID-19.
The taskforce dispersed members of staff of the NSITF from the exams hall and invited Mr Tesh Kibikiwa, General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, who was coordinating the exams for further explanation.
The invitation was resisted by some Union members of the NSITF, who attempted to fight one of the police officers with the taskforce, DSP Abubakar Sanni.
The union members also threatened the journalist covering the event to stop or have their equipment destroyed.
Addressing Journalists at the scene of the event, Mr Ikharo Attah, Head, Publicity and Enlightenment of FCT Ministerial Taskforce on Enforcement COVID-19 Protocols, the exercise was necessitated by series of complaints from the staff of the NSITF, who cried that their lives were under danger because the exams venue was overcrowded.
According to Mr Attah, “We received several calls from the staff of the NSITF, in the passed three days that they have been call in for promotion examination and from what they understand and the number of people coming they are into some thousands.
“And they will not be able to manage overcrowdedness and so we should ask the management of the organisation to postpone the examination.
“We on our own we were a little bit more careful knowing fully that the organisation is a respected government agency and they should do what is needful.
“So this morning we received so much complains again and our Chairman, the FCT Commissioner of Police Bala Ciroma also got several complaints.
“Some persons came to the Eagle Square where we were sitting to come and lodge some complaints with so many pictures and videos of overcrowdedness.
“Luckily as we arrived at the centre of the examination we saw the massive crowd and asked the most senior person coordinating the exams, which claimed that they have permission from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“We demanded for evidence and he couldn’t provide it, so we asked them to please disperse and go home but that the most senior person, Mr Tesh Kibikiwa, General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment, should come with us and make further explanation.
“But to our shock while the entire staff agreed and their very cheerful that the taskforce serve them from contracting COVID-19 due to overcrowdedness, some of the labour union members insisted that we can’t go with him.
“Initially, he pleaded with us that he want to use his car to follow us on health ground which we granted him but the labour union prevented him from following us.
“We waited at the gate for almost two hours, we couldn’t see him and we went round everywhere we couldn’t find him and we were shock that the man and one other Director jumped through the fence and ran away to escape arrest.”
Attah said that the taskforce toured one of the official vehicles of the organisation, adding the taskforce also removed the number plate of the other vehicle that they couldn’t tour it and left the vehicle at the event or exam centre.
He said that the owners of the event centre would be invited to make an explanation why an event of this magnitude would hold without adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Zainab Sa’id
