The CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa has alleged that her staff were thrown out of the office building where the commission operates from by armed men sent by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
According to Abike Dabiri, her commission no longer has an office to operate from thanks to the Minister.
Speaking in a video released by the official Twitter account of NIDCOM, the CEO said the commission was still carrying out its functions despite the setback.
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She accused Isa Pantami of ordering armed men to throw out the commission from an office building given to it by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).
According to the former lawmaker, staff of the Commission were not allowed to remove their property from the premises before it was sealed by Patanmi’s armed men.
Located at Mbora district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the building in question is an annex office of the NCC which is supervised by the ministry of communication and digital economy.
Abike Dabiri also said she has petitioned appropriate agencies regarding the development.
Excerpts from the video read;
“In one year, we don’t have an office. The office we got, given to us by NCC but we were actually driven away by the honourable minister of communications and digital economy, Mr Isa Pantami, within two days, they drove us out with guns and what happened? The place was given to us by NCC.
“You know we all help each other, NCC as an agency of government, said there is a place you can use to settle in, and just as we settled in, I was in Ethiopia when I got a call. I thought that it was a joke. I came back from Ethiopia on Thursday, this happened on Tuesday, by Friday when I went to the office, guns, armed men had taken over the place. I thought it was a joke, but here is the thing, I’m a government employee, so is he. It’s a government business.”
“I have complained officially but we let it be. He wants the place, let him take it. That place is still there, a whole floor is still vacant. As I speak with you all our items are locked up. I don’t have computer, I don’t have printers, everything has been locked up.
“So after COVID-19 we are hoping that we can get a space and move in.
These things locked are personal printers, personal laptops of our very dedicated staff because when you are just starting a lot of things are not there.”
The NCC however responded to madam Abike Dabiri’s allegations saying her Commission was not sent packing from the building.
According to the director of public affairs for the NCC, Henry Nkemadu, the building complex had not been inaugurated when it was offered to NIDCOM.
“The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch of other projects relating to the mandate of government,” Nkemadu said.
“Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the NDC, the Director General, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had not visited the Complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the Commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices.
“As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the Complex.
“Therefore, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex.”
He assured that the personal property of the Commission staff was safely warehoused in the offices within the complex.