Chief Audu Ogbeh. |
The
challenges facing animals productivity in the country may be deepened if
appropriate steps are not taken to correct the internal posting recently
carried out in the Department of Animal and Husbandry of the Federal Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).
Although the
internal posting carried out in March this year was said to be a general one
among the directors of the ministry, but the one for the department of Animal
and Husbandry was perceived as a witch hunt emanating from
the veterinarians who were said to be totally against the new creation in the
first instance as there was a long time battle between the two professions i.e.
animal scientists and veterinarians.
Animal and Husbandry was curved out from
Veterinary Department to stand on its own by the Office of the Head of Civil
Service of the Federation (OHCSF) under the leadership of former Minister of
Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina so as to ensure professional ethics through
best global policy practice that would enhance animal productivity especially
in the face of herdsmen movement for foods and water.
Presently
the internal posting had since witnessed the replacement of Dr. Ademola Moshood
Raji, an animal scientist with a female veterinarian Dr. Egejuru Eze, and this
has been seen by stakeholders as a slap to professionalism and civil service
due process cum regulations.
Civil Service Commission, OHCSF and the
National Association of Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASSAN) together
with Labour Union have expressed their resentment on the posting for various
reasons that have a common face of professionalism preach saying “posting of
officer within the ministry to post outside their professionalism cadre is
prohibited”.
Food Farm News gathered that the erroneous
impression according to a source about the appointment of Dr. Raji as level
grade 14 officer was officially clarified by the Civil Service Commission at an
organized interactive meeting between the Permanent Secretary, FMARD and OHCSF where he (Dr. Raji) was cleared as
GL 17 officer with entitlement to occupy the post of a Director at the Federal
Ministry from another government agency did not yield any fruitful result till
this time despite a letter written to the present Minister to revert this
decision so as to allow the director to complete his tenure.
Part of the
clause of the letter written to Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and which was
made available to us read thus “ it is pertinent to note that at the said
meeting of march, 2016, the PS, Agric informed the commission that all actions
taken by him were predicated upon the directive of the Hon. Minister. It is
against this background that the commission feels strongly compelled to bring
the matter urgently to your attention and to correct the erroneous impression
on the status of Dr. Raji”.
“Reiterate
that Dr. Raji should be allowed to complete his tenure which ends by June 2016.
If his service is no longer required, the process of his de-secondment should
be effected through the FCSC, and observed that a veterinary Doctor is not
professionally quality to head the Animal production and Husbandry Department
as he does not have the locus standing to certify the animal production and
husbandry services staff working under him for Examination purposes”.
All the
effort on the part of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment through a
meeting called at her instance between Animal Science Association of Nigeria
(ASSAN) and FMARD has not up till now yielded any positive effect.
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