Dr Halidu Shaba
By Raphael Ekpang
The South-South Renaissance Group (SSRG) has called on the Federal Government to prevail on Dr Halidu Shaba to stop parading himself as the Acting Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
The pressure group specifically called on the Chief of Staff to the President, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha to use their good offices to prevail on the impostor (Dr Halidu Shaba) to stop misleading the public and making caricature of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement jointly signed by the Coordinator of the group, Comrade Preye Borokeme and the Director of Mobilization, Comrade Ubong Ukpo Sally, the group accused Dr Halidu of trying to take over the mantle of leadership through the back-door at all cost.
The statement read in parts, “ Dr Halilu Shaba is using his links with the Chief of Staff to the President and SGF to harass, haunt, intimidate the authentic Acting DG of NASRDA, Dr Francis Dubem Chizea, who is a foremost son of the region and who has, over the years, distinguished himself as a professional that has risen through the ranks in every capacity at the organization before attaining the position of Acting Director-General. He achieved this feat because he was the most senior staff of the organization when the previous DG retired from service recently.”
Dr Halidu Shaba’s curriculum vitae (CV) allegedly show discrepancies, willful distortions and a sharp contrast to what he claims to be. This is because, according to SSRG investigations, he has moved from the National Population Commission (NPC) to the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna; then to, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and now the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). The movement is full of suspicious inaccurate data and information that has bypassed all known and acceptable extant rules of the Federal Public Service. Dr Halidu submitted a purported transfer of service letter from FUT Minna instead of the transfer of service letter from NEMA where he served before forcing himself into NASRDA. In the said CV of Dr Halidu, he has erased all known information about his service in NEMA without any corresponding approval for transfer of service from NEMA.
SSRG reiterated that under the conditions of service, before anyone can obtain transfer of service, the two agencies of government involved must agree and come to terms, and in a case that they do not come to agreement, the transfer of service is not binding, null and void. Going by the above the purported transfer brandished by Dr Halidu lacks merit, not binding, null and void.
Revealing further, SSRG availed that Dr Halilu’s CV does not show any detailed information that he served in the various places mentioned above with the required dates and positions served. Furthermore, his transfer of service to NASRDA is faulty as it is supposed to have emanated from NEMA, his last place of service, and not from FUT Minna. This is glaringly part of the conditions of service. This is because, as a government employee, you must apply for the transfer of service ab initio and it must be negotiated and agreed upon by both parties before it is binding.
The group also claimed that Dr Halidu took fresh appointments without transfer of service until last month when he obtained through dubious means the purported transfer of service from FUT Minna. Meanwhile there was no agreement from both institutions and they did not come to terms as required by the regulations. It is said when you have accepted the transfer of service, there is no way you can obtain a fresh one as stipulated. At best, this is like making an attempt to enter through the window or backdoor, which is condemnable in strong terms. However, in accordance with the public service rules, an employee must write and apply for transfer of service.
The SSRG insisted that this is not Dr Halidu’s first attempt as he has previously threatened the hitherto Acting Director-General Mr Jonathan Angulu when he (Halidu) made sure that nothing worked at NASRDA; he frustrated the management of Mr Angulu, bringing it to its knees just because of his self-serving interest. Even at this time, he bragged loud and clear that this is their government and he has the authority and audacity to do whatever he wanted, hence he used external forces to distort and manipulate the nominal roll so as to favour himself but all was in vain. SSRG wonders why he still applies the same old tactics and thinks it will work out this time.
SSRG also alleged that immediately Dr Dubem Chizea took over as Acting Director-General, Dr Halidu got a kangaroo transfer of service from FUT Minna to usurp and hijack authority from Dr Chizea as Acting DG, but FUT Minna has no such authority or mandate to issue to Dr Halidu such letter of transfer of service.
“In view of the foregoing, we (SSRG) hereby called on the anti-graft agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices (And Other Related Offences) Commission (ICPC), to immediately swing into action by instituting forensic investigations of the activities of Dr Halidu Shaba’s curriculum vitae and the transfer of service to ascertain the veracity of these statements. This is aimed at bringing him to book because he has consistently said that the present government does not believe in merit but “man-know-man.” There is surely more to it that meets the eyes in the discrepancies of his profile with the various government agencies mentioned above.
SSRG is however assured that and has strong belief in President Muhammadu Buhari’s course for a better Nigeria where any qualified person can aspire to any position of his/her choice, knowing also that the Chief of Staff, according to Dr Halidu is his uncle, we are assured that as a career diplomat, Ambassador Gambari, will toe the path of merit and honour and not succumb to Dr Halidu’s comments that merit does not count, but it is who you know that matters in Nigeria.
