FERMA Unions Accuse Board Chairman of Gross Abuse of Public Service Rules

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By ALIDU MUSTAPHA

A fresh labour crisis is brewing at the Federal roads maintenance Agency (FERMA) following serious allegations by two in-house unions accusing the agency’s governing board and elements of management of gross abuse of office, violation of Public Service Rules (PSR), and persistent interference in administrative processes.

The allegations are contained in a joint press statement issued by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), FERMA Branch, signed by their chairmen, Comrade Paul Onimisi and Comrade Abdulmumin Idris.

According to the unions, the crisis began barely weeks after the appointment of the board chairman, Dr. Musa Babayo whom they described as a part-time appointee. The unions allege that Dr. Babayo immediately began interfering in the day-to-day administration of the agency, functions they insist are exclusively reserved for management under the Public Service Rules.

They accused the board chairman of arm-twisting management officials, particularly the Human Resources Department, to apply “illegal and extraneous rules” outside the recommendations of a properly constituted Senior Staff Committee (SSC), especially in matters relating to recruitment and promotion.

The unions stated that the SSC had concluded and submitted recommendations on the controversial 2021 recruitment exercise, which were initially approved by the FERMA board. However, they alleged that the board later reversed itself verbally, allegedly to protect a select group of staff, despite lacking the authority to alter SSC decisions.