Workers seek sack of NCC boss over alleged N406m fraud

Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has called for the removal of Afam Ezekude, director general, for alleged maladministration and misappropriations of funds totalling N406 million.

ASCSN, an affiliate of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), also demanded Ezekude’s immediate investigation and prosecution.

Ezekude in his reaction, dismissed the allegations, saying the claims were unsubstantiated and false.

Speaking with our correspondent, he said the allegations were previously investigated by the EFCC, DSS and ICPC but declared them unfounded.

But the association, which protested against the DG’s alleged maladministration and embezzlement of public funds on Monday, March 12, 2018, said Ezekude’s continued stay in the commission was affecting the growth of creative industry in the country.

Moses Ihuma, chairman of NCC chapter of the association, who spoke to The Guardian on the telephone, said staff members of the commission have lost confidence in Ezekude’s leadership.

He noted that the director general had reduced the NCC, which is an enforcement agency set up to protect and promote the creative industry, to an agency for looting of funds.

He also alleged that poor welfare scheme resulted in the death of 15 employees of the commission, stressing that they would continue their protests until their demands were met.

In a statement signed by Ihuma and Olatunji Kurile, the unit’s Secretary, the association said their grouse include lack of payment of staff allowances since 2011, lack of working tools and illegal renewal of Ezekude’s tenure, as well as the director general’s possession of two letters of tenure renewal from two different government offices.

They noted that the association had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services (DSS) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) with evidences of corruption against Ezekude.