The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria, NCSCN, has intervened in the controversy surrounding the 2025 staff promotion exercise of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, calling on aggrieved staff members to explore internal mechanisms of seeking redress for perceived injustice, rather than embarking on campaigns of calumny against the organisation.

While attributing the controversy to actions of internal saboteurs within the organisation, who used the examination to cast aspersions on the NCC leadership, the CSO warned that it would not hesitate to publicly expose such characters if they fail to tow the path of reason.

In a statement issued by the NCSCN Executive Director, Blessing Akinlosotu, the Council said it received a series of petitions and media reports complaining about the conduct of the NCC’s promotional examinations under the Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida.

It said the NCSCN, launched an independent inquiry, engaged the accused and directly confronted the management of the commission. It said following an investigation into the allegations, it, however, found no grievous issues of victimisation or deliberate marginalisation as alleged, but unavoidable circumstances resulting from institutional frameworks and natural factors.

The statement said the NCSCN found that the promotion exams were open to all eligible staff without exclusion, interview panels were drawn from all six geopolitical zones and included external observers, the outcome of the exams reflected the Commission’s vacancy structure and manpower plan, no deliberate marginalisation or breach of Federal Character was established and some qualified staff could not be promoted due to limited available positions.

It read, ‘‘The Examination was conducted in line with the Public Service Rules, the Commission’s organisational structure and manpower plan, with each cadre having a predetermined number of vacancies conforming with the number of personnel the Commission could accommodate at each level.

“The promotion exams were conducted for all cadres of staff eligible for promotion in the Commission, without exclusion of anyone.

“The interview panels were composed of competent management staff drawn from each of the six (6) Geo-Political Zones, with independent external members and representatives from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), to provide oversight and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

“Some Staff actually passed the Exams and were well qualified but suffered setbacks as a result of the unavailability of vacancies to accommodate all.

“That no laws were broken during the exercise, instead the promotion process followed clear and objective scoring framework, which was communicated to all participants ahead of the exams.’’

The Council also acknowledged that some technical and logistical hitches occurred during the conduct of the exams, including long hours and scheduling during religious fasting periods, but described them as administrative lapses rather than acts of victimisation.

Akinlosotu urged protesting staff to show remorse and embrace dialogue and appealed to the NCC leadership to exercise forgiveness and ensure no staff is dismissed over this controversy.

She also cautioned the media against sensationalising internal administrative matters, urging journalists to uphold professionalism and verify facts before publication.

“The media carries the potency to either build or destroy an institution. We must all exercise caution and self-restraint in reporting sensitive issues,” she added.

The NCSCN emphasised that while it remains committed to fighting injustice and promoting transparency in public institutions, civil society organisations must not allow themselves to be used as tools for internal vendettas or destabilisation. “This matter should now be laid to rest,” the Council advised.

No federal character breach in NCC promotions — NCSCN on victimisation allegations