Tinubu pledges support for NCC’s merit-based promotions amid staff outcry

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to meritocracy within the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) after a high-stakes meeting with NCC Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida.

The assurance comes amid growing discontent among NCC employees who did not meet the 70% cut-off score in the Commission’s March 2025 promotion exercise.

According to Sam Omatseye, chairman of the editorial board of a leading national newspaper, Maida sought President Tinubu’s intervention to defend the integrity of the recent promotions.

In Omatseye’s column titled “One Day With President Tinubu,” he describes observing Maida’s private audience with the president. “Aminu Maida was under immense political pressure to replace merit with compromise,” Omatseye wrote.

“He appealed to the President to uphold the credibility of the selection process. President Tinubu’s response was clear: ‘I believe in merit. Do what is right.’”

The promotion exercise, which saw 239 staff members elevated to higher grades, has become a flashpoint within the NCC.

Disgruntled employees—particularly those who scored below 70%—have formed a group called the “Concerned Staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission,” demanding a review of the cut-off mark and transparency in the process.

Some members of this group claim that the benchmark was unilaterally raised from 60% to 70%, a change they argue disenfranchised deserving candidates.

NCC management, however, has maintained that the 70% standard has been in place consistently over the last five years. Official records confirm that the benchmark was not amended in the latest exercise.

The Commission further contends that this year’s process was conducted fairly and transparently, consistent with its longstanding promotion policies.

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Several staff members have also alleged that the exercise favored colleagues who had recently attended prestigious foreign training programs—such as those at Harvard University and the London School of Economics—implying that political considerations may have influenced selection.

In response, NCC leadership cited federal government directives to scale back on peripheral perks and instead channel savings into core employee welfare.

As part of this shift, the Commission has reallocated resources from expensive overseas training allowances toward improved salaries, expanded benefits, and enhanced allowances for all staff.

A breakdown of the 239 promoted employees by geopolitical zone is as follows: South East: 25.74%; South South: 16.91%; South West: 16.91%; North Central: 13.97%; North West: 13.24% and North East: 13.24%

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NCC management insists that these figures reflect a balanced distribution aligned with the geographical spread of its workforce and the merit scores achieved by individual staffers.

Despite the Commission’s assurances, the “Concerned Staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission” has vowed to continue pressing for redress. In a letter to the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, the group demanded the publication of detailed scorecards for all promotion candidates and called for an independent review panel to validate the results.

When approached for comment, an NCC spokesperson reiterated that the promotion exercise adhered strictly to existing guidelines.

“The promotion cut-off score of 70% has been applied for the past five years,” the spokesperson said. “Our evaluation criteria were clearly communicated to all staff. We encourage any aggrieved employee to follow the established grievance procedures to obtain clarifications.”

President Tinubu’s astute backing of merit in this matter sends a strong signal to public service agencies that political interference will not be tolerated.