" ITREALMS: @NBET
Showing posts with label @NBET. Show all posts
Showing posts with label @NBET. Show all posts

Thursday, March 05, 2020

Re: When desperation comes to roost @NBET - ITREALMS

Our attention has been drawn to a cheap and fake propaganda against Mrs Itohan Ehiede titled ‘’When Desperation comes home to Roost at NBET’’ written by one Gbenga Ojo of Premiumnewsnigeria.com who made various false and negative accusations, some libelous in nature to defame her character.

The purpose of this rejoinder is to set the records straight and debunk all such false claims as the work of despicable characters with evil intentions to undermine the person of Mrs Ehiede. It is such a shame that some people will descend so low to behave in such an unscrupulous manner.

Mr Ojo’s claim in his article that the movement of Mrs Ehiede was part of a comprehensive upgrading and re-posting of staff in the agency is a complete lie.This along with all the other claims he has made in his write up show that Ojo has perfected the art of twisting issues to meet his nefarious goals. For example, the case of the ‘’magnificent movement to Project Monitoring Department’’ happened as a result of the report of a threat of physical attack and verbal assault made by Dr Marilyn Amobi on Mrs Itohan Ehiede whom she hysterically barked on in the presence of two other staff on Friday the 6th of December 2019. Dr Marilyn Amobi stated to the hearing of all that she would slap Mrs Itohan Ehiede and does not care if she loses her job. This was not a one-off incident. On several occasions, she has verbally abused Mrs Ehiede, using very derogatory words which are better imagined.

On the particular day, the threat to slap Mrs Itohan Ehiede was made, Dr Marilyn Amobi was in her office berating Mrs Itohan Ehiede and another Executive Management staff of NBET. The reason for this outrage was the two (2) days leave duly approved and granted to a member of Staff to enable him attend a relative’s burial.

With Mr Ojo reference to treasury bills, himself and his cohorts have displayed a high level of ignorance as those who understand the workings of Treasury Bills know how difficult it is to manipulate.

The so-called staff mentioned by Mr Ojo as being indicted by DSS has it on record that the MD is aware of his fraudulent activities and decided to play it down. He also has it on record that the MD promised to send him abroad and this record is contained in the report of the DSS investigation and forwarded to the MD by the DG, SS.

In January, 2018, it was time to process the six (6) years upfront payment for housing and furniture allowance duly approved by the Board and paid to staff on a first come, first serve basis. When it was time for the payment, Dr Marilyn Amobi using her official position made sure she was paid this mortgage, the consequence of which resulted in no one else being paid. The MD achieved this payment by striking off all the names of the eligible staff for that year and replacing their names with just hers. She simply instructed that all the staff be stepped down and herself be paid. This made some of the affected staff petition her (the MD) to ICPC who faulted the 6 years payment to a political appointee whose tenor was 4 years and who had already spent a year and a half on the position. Rather than honourably refunding the funds to the company, she asked for the restructuring. It is strange that before she collected her mortgage, there was no problem with the structuring of the mortgage request but till date that no one else has been paid after her. However, Mr Ojo claims in his write up that the EFCC had a problem with the structuring of the mortgage loan. One wonders since when EFCC became involved in the structuring of mortgage loans of government agencies.

A brief mention of the work history of Mrs Ehiede is apposite at this start. She started her career in 1997 with Citizens Bank (Now Heritage Bank) where she held various positions for the Nine (9) years she worked there. Throughout the time she was in Citizens Bank, she never received any official query or letter of insubordination, indiscipline or act of financial misappropriation.After Citizens Bank, she worked in Intercontinental Bank (Now Access Bank) for 3-4 years where she was promoted twice and was even made the pioneer manager of their flagship Maitama branch which under her leadership was one of the most profitable branches in the Northern Region of the Bank. Again, throughout this period, she never received any query or letter of insubordination, indiscipline or for any act of financial misappropriation. Rather she had several commendations and awards for service excellence.

Before coming to NBET, Mrs Ehiede worked for four (4) years in Standard Chartered Bank, a British bank with one of the highest ethical standards in the Nigerian Banking Industry. She was the pioneer manager of the newly opened Garki Branch in Tswanya centre. Within this period, she never received any query, letter of insubordination or indiscipline, or any query for misappropriation of funds. Rather,she won various awards and accolades including but not limited to:

The Gulliver’s Contest for Wealth Management who deliver at least 150% of their performance target culminating in the entire team being sponsored on an all-expense paid trip to any international destination of their choice (2011)

Best Supporting Manager in the Northern Region

Professionally, Mrs Ehiede is a:

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Finance and Control (FCIFC)

Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management ( NIM)

An Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) in which she won the award as the overall best student in International Trade and Finance (2016)

Member of the Institute of Service Excellence and Good Governance based on her exceptional customer service skills

Also, in all of her professional working life including the first 3 years of her time in NBET with the pioneer MD, Mr Rumundaka Wonodi and the first 2 years of Dr Marilyn Amobi, Mrs Ehiede did not receive any query. Her first query ever in her Professional Career spanning a period of 21 years was when Dr Marlyn Amobi gave her one.
*Contributed by Johnbosco Bankong, Attorney-at-Law

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Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Stop victimizing whistleblowers @NBET, AFRICMIL urges MD - ITREALMS


The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has called on the MD/CEO of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Dr. Marilyn Amobi, to immediately stop the victimization of two whistleblowers, Sambo Abdullahi, Deputy General Manager and Head of Internal Audit, and Waziri Bintube, General Manager and Chief Finance Officer, reports ITREALMS.

Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL in a press statement available to 
ITREALMS, said the organization expressed concern over the management style of the NBET boss which has for long been overshadowed by allegations of fraud, abuse of office and harassment of both management and non-management staff. A high point of the public criticism of Dr. Amobi’s management, the statement said, “is the persistent victimization of two officers – Sambo Abdullahi and Waziri Bintube, for carrying out their duties in accordance with the rules and regulations of public service.”

“We are aware that you have stopped the salaries and other entitlements of these officers since December 2017 allegedly for offences including writing petitions and embarking on leave without approval. We are also aware that Messrs Sambo and Bintube have since been absolved of any wrongdoings after an investigation by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing which supervises NBET. Indeed, it is on record that the Hon Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, had on more than one occasion directed you to treat these officers as NBET staff and effect the payment of their outstanding salaries and other entitlements,” AFRICMIL noted in a letter to Dr Amobi. The organization said it was disturbed that Dr. Amobi had not complied with the directive of the Ministry of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

AFRICMIL reminded the NBET boss that these officers deserve commendation and protection, and not victimization, for acting as whistleblowers in line with the anti-corruption policy of the current administration.

The organisation requested Dr Amobi to take immediate steps to end the ongoing victimization of these officers by complying with the directives of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing asking that they be recalled and their outstanding salaries and allowances paid.

The AFRICMIL statement comes on the heels of a two-part investigative report published last week on the alleged fraudulent activities at NBET under Dr. Amobi, and her victimization of whistleblowers who refused to co-operate with her in the perpetration of illegality at NBET. The report by Leaks Ng was compiled by the Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF).

Ayo Midele/Editor

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