Ex-Staff of NCAC revolt, drag DG Runsewe to court

Director General of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe is not a happy man right now with the avalanche of challenges confronting him since assumption of office in April this year.

Aside the Art and Crafts Village, Abuja, which went up in flames on December 15, Ripples Nigeria gathered authoritatively that the NCAC boss had been grappling with multiple law suits slammed on him and the agency by about 600 staff allegedly retrenched by his predecessor.

Information has it that a onetime Chief Executive of the cultural establishment, Mallam M.M. Maidugu had during his tenure employed over 900 personnel for the cash strapped agency; a situation his successor, Mrs. Dayo Keshi found very difficult to comprehend.

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Keshi had reportedly retrenched about 600 of these staff; who rushed to court to demand their reinstatement in service.

An NCAC source said the agency still has over-bloated personnel regardless of the about 600 already laid off. Our correspondent further gathered that the parties were considering out of court settlement especially as the agency had been burdened with sourcing fund to sponsor the lawyers representing it in the various cases.

Head of Media Unit, Charles Nwam declined to speak on the issue, but the Director General while addressing arts and culture correspondents on December 19, lamented that the barrage of cases was taking a toll on the agency’s finances and operations.

He also stated that several NCAC staff had no job schedule; hence they while away time to the extent that some of them never touched files in the past two years.

According to Runsewe, “Some Nigerians are wicked. Can you imagine that the person before me employed 900 persons in this small office? 600 of them have taken us to court, so every week, I would have to find some money for the lawyers representing us to go to court.

“Do you know that there are some people in this office that have not seen file in the past two years? In fact, I told the management the other day that they are wicked. If they are your children, will you be happy with the way they are there doing nothing; yet they say they are employed?”

By Ajansii Mgbom….

 

 

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