Indefinite
nationwide strike hits National Museums
By MAURICE ARCHIBONG
On Wednesday, 20 November, 2013; the
Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and
Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) made good its threat with the launch
of a nationwide indefinite strike by workers of the National Commission for Museums
and Monuments (NCMM).
Paradoxically, this work stoppage comes
barely a week after Mr. Yusuf Abdallah Usman, the immediate-past director
general of the NCMM, held a major press briefing; where he claimed all was well
with the Commission. We were not invited to the press conference, but according
to feedback mauricearchibongtravels got from some of those that attended,
Mr. Abdallah Usman had blamed disgruntled elements for perceived misinformation
about the situation at the NCMM.
However, the current strike is
confirmation that Usman fed his guests with a misrepresentation of the true
situation. In any case, we would have shunned any invitation to that charade
because Usman’s tenure as Director General (DG) had elapsed since 4 November,
2013. In that circumstance, his act; if it did not constitute an illegality,
threw up another question: how was funding for the jamboree sourced? And, who gave
approval for that expenditure?
This latest strike means a shutdown of
every museum, zoo and other outposts run by the NCMM across the country. The
role of a museum in the local tourism industry could hardly be exaggerated,
because the museum could make the difference to the vibrancy or otherwise of
the local tourism industry and vice versa.
Unfortunately, the strike is bound to
take enervating toll on Nigeria’s tourism industry. Imagine the many foreign
tourists already in the country that would have loved to visit our museums but
cannot do so because of a strike. Aside from foreign tourists that are already
here, there must be others, whose planned trip to Nigeria would now be put on
hold, pending resumption of work at Nigeria’s National Museums.
All of these translate into huge losses
for the nation, not to talk about its blighting effect on Nigeria’s image.
However, it must be pointed out, that the ongoing work stoppage could have been
averted, were some of the issues raised by AUPCTRE addressed. Embroiled in
controversies over the last eight years, the NCMM is an agency of the Federal
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation.
The current indefinite work stoppage is
sequel to a 21-day notice served on NCMM director general. In a memo, dated
October 30, in which AUPCTRE issued the mandatory 21-day notice of its plan to
embark on industrial action, the labour activists demand; among others: “The
whereabouts of N225m handed over by Mr. Akin Roberts”; “The whereabouts/balance
of N47m posted into IAMS accounts in December 2011 out of which only N16m was
expended for the payment of arrears…”; “The whereabouts of money budgetted for
staff training in 2013 as no visible training has taken place”; “Reversal of
lease of DG, NCMM Quarters on Adeola Hopewell, Victoria Island for N24m”; and,
“Reversal (of sale) of portion of land in MOTNA, Jos for construction of a
filling station”.
It could be recalled that NCMM workers
went on strike from January 10 to the 17th, 2013. And, no fewer than
10 strikes or rumours of strike have hit the NCMM in the last six years. Usman
had been NCMM DG in the last four of those half-a-dozen years.
Several key political office holders and
civil service top brasses, including head of service of the federation;
minister as well as permanent secretary of the ministry of tourism, culture and
national orientation; were each given a
copy of that warning.
Labour held rallies Wednesday at
National Museum/NCMM stations in Benin City, Jos and Lagos et cetera, to flag
off their nationwide indefinite strike. In Lagos, labour activists addressed
workers at NCMM station in Onikan on 19 November. Proactively, authorities of
the Jos-based Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies (IAMS) had
fast-tracked semester examinations, to ensure that academic programmes were not
disrupted by the strike.
Speaking on the eve of the commencement
of the strike, Secretary of AUPCTRE, NCMM Chapter, Mr. Adogah Abdullahi,
declared the protest was inevitable; following failure by the Commission’s
management to meet any of their demands. “Please, be informed that our strike,
earlier slated for January, 2013, will now commence tomorrow (20 November)”,
Abdullahi had told mauricearchibongtravels during a telephone conversation last
Tuesday.
A circular was sent to labour executives
at each NCMM station to “hold congress and direct workers to stay home in
observance of the strike”. The union executive explained that the strike,
earlier called for January this year, was suspended because of promises made to
NCMM workers by Mr. Abdallah Usman, the now out gone director general; following
intervention by Tourism and Culture Minister, Chief Edem Duke.
“Shamefully, none of the promises made
to us, which led to the suspension of our plans to strike in January was
fulfilled. These promises were made, more than nine months before Abdallah Usman’s
tenure came to an end on 4 November”, Abdullahi rued. Expatiating, the labour
scribe added that the strike was necessary “to achieve a better, efficient and
corruption-free museum system”.
Mr. Abdallah Usman was forced on the nation, while
Senator Jubrin Bello Gada was Tourism and Culture Minister; and, many museum
watchers still remember, how; during Gada’s tenure, hundreds of millions of
naira were diverted and allegedly spent on dubious projects.
Catalogue
of curios
It is worth pointing out, that the NCMM
has been accephalus since Abdallah Usman’s term elapsed on 4 November. Going by
bureaucratic convention, an acting DG should have been named for the NCMM on or
before 4 November, but more than two weeks since Usman’s exit, the Commission
has been rudderless.
Meanwhile, mauricearchibongtravels
had gathered from impeccable sources that the out gone DG had been served a
letter to handover on Wednesday, 13 November; but he chose to scorn that memo,
which emanated from the office of the Permanent Secretary.
The NCMM is in a quandary, despite
boasting four substantive directors; viz: Dr Musa Hambolu, Dr Barth Chukwuezi,
Bode Oke and Oluremi Adedayo; Director, Research, Planning and Publications;
Director, Educational Services and Training; Director of Finance and Accounts
(DFA); and, Director, Monuments, Heritage and Sites (MHS) respectively.
A telephone enquiry regarding comment
from the tourism and culture minister drew a blank. The minister’s Special
Adviser (Media), Dr Taiwo Oladokun, was not forthcoming because “The Hon.
Minister’s phone lines could not be accessed possibly due to GSM network
challenges”.
When contacted on Tuesday, 19 November;
Dr Barth Chukwuezi, NCMM’s Director of Educational Services and Training told mauricearchibongtravels:
“He (out gone DG Usman) travelled”. In other words, the NCMM could go to hell
because a man, whose tenure had elapsed, chose to ignore a simple directive
from the de facto head of a ministry.
Thus, what should normally be a simple administative
process has now morphed into such a perplexing curio that it requires a
nationwide shutdown of national museums to address. It tells a lot about
Nigeria, that consideration for fortunes of an individual should take precedent
over the overall interest of the nation; this, in spite of the fact that
Abdallah Usman’s performance as NCMM DG was at best calamitous.
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