By Lanre Oloyede
As part of his determination to reposition the Federal Civil Service Staff with Disabilities Multi-purpose Cooperative Society for better performance in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, Wednesday held a strategic meeting with executives and board members of the Cooperative Society.
The meeting which held in his office had in attendance most of the executive and board members as well as some other stakeholders. Those in attendance included:
1. Mrs Ndidi Rita Okonta
2. Mrs Nwakwesi Chizoba
3. Mr. Onogwu Paul Inyang
4. Mr. Adekunle Saheed A.
5. Mr. Adamu Isiaka A.
6. Barr. Osuji Vincent
7. Mr. Adewale Olatunde
8. Mrs Maryam Abdulazeez
9. Ina Edindu Obaze
10. Mr Stanley Onyebuchi
Others were:
11. Mr Lanre Oloyede ( Director Media OSSAP)
12. Mr Felix Okoli ( Director, Admin OSSAP)
13. Miss Odika Ezinne ( Director, Special Duties OSSAP)
*SSAP Remarks*
In his opening remarks, Hon. Abba Isa,
stated that the purpose of the meeting was to analyze the challenges facing the cooperative and how to proffer solutions to it.
The Senior Presidential aide bemoaned the fact that the cooperative has failed to live to its expectations and purpose of its establishment which is to impact the welfare and livelihood of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
He lamented that the Non-Performance of the cooperative has become a major impediment, obstacle and a clog in the wheel of progress of the PWDs in the country.
The SSAP submitted that it was necessary to have a rejig and re-organization of the cooperative for optimum performance and service delivery to PWDs.
Hon. Abba Isa emphasized the need to review, rejig and reposition the cooperative, while assuring the executive and board members of his maximum supports in ensuring that peace is restored to the cooperative so that it can achieve it’s mandate.
The Presidential aide said he wanted the meeting to be as interactive and open as possible, while he urged the attendees to speak their minds, forget their differences and give their inputs on what can be done to reposition the cooperative.
The SSAP noted that in the spirit of nothing about us without us, if the leadership of the cooperative is a PWD, he will show empathy, but if he is not, there’s no way he will understand or feel the plight of PWDs since he is not a PWD himself as he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches.
Speaking on behalf of attendees, one of the executive member, Mr Adekunle Saheed who is the secretary of the cooperative thanked the SSAP for calling the meeting which he described as timely and necessary.
Mr Adekunle admitted that it was because all weren’t going on well with the cooperative hence they were compelled to set up a new platform that will put all other similar platforms of PWDs under one umbrella in the name of National Association of Civil Servants with Disabilities.
Recall that there have been series of complaints flooding the desk of the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities bordering on alleged bad leadership, financial impropriety, mismanagement and fraudulent practices linked with the leadership of the cooperative, which has undermined the integrity of the cooperative and the disability community at large
Many of the executive and board members who spoke their minds at the meeting admitted that the current leadership of the cooperative particularly the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the person of Alhaji Illyasu Olanrewaju has been operating without recourse to principle of accountability and transparency which has brought embarrassment to the cooperative and the entire disability community in general. The CEO Alhaji Illyasu was also accused of involving in different shady deals with the intention of defrauding contractors for personal benefits.
*Contributions By Attendees*
Mr Adekunle Saheed
Mr Adekunle noted that there was no need to beat about the bush or try to deny that there was problem in the cooperative but rather they should seek for solutions. He thanked God for choosing someone like Hon Abba Isa as SSAP because he is a selfless leaders that is concerned about the welfare of others and betterment of PWDs.
Mr Adekunle explained that in 2004, through the Head of Service and Ministry of Women Affairs, they have registered National Association of Civil Servants with Disabilities, while the cooperative is just a unit under the association, adding that the aim was to make sure that Civil Servants with disabilities can come together under one umbrella.
When asked by the SSAP who the current president of the cooperative is, he said though there is no substantive president for now because the person that is currently acting in the person of Barrister Nkem had already served out his term having served two terms of eight years since 2014. He said because they refused to hold elections, that was why they formed another association called Federation of Civil Servants with Disabilities which is yet to be registered and now they are calling for the two associations to be harmonized.
He added that since the establishment of the cooperative, the current board is the only board not dancing to Alhaji Illyasu’s tune.
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Mr Paul Onogwu
Mr Paul noted that the cooperative has membership cut across all the employees of federal civil servants with disabilities. He said Mr Sunola Johnson is the current President of the board adding that the board also have vice president and Secretary.
Mr Paul stated that the current board started in 2020 and it’s tenures will elapse by June 2024.
Speaking on the problem bedeviling the cooperative, he said the way the cooperative was structured was a bit clumsy as the CEO in the person of Alhaji Illyasu wasn’t given a specific tenure which means he can continue for as long as he likes. He added that when it comes to sourcing for funds, the CEO handles everything arbitrarily without carrying anyone along.
He explained that no financial contribution from members apart from the registration fee of two thousand naira.
Mr Paul said the CEO goes about to source for fund using the names of the cooperative, and after getting the money, he gives whatever percentage he wants to give to the cooperative and pockets the remaining. He said the board members and executives had resolved that the CEO was not operating well and that he was tarnishing the image of the cooperative, and that was why the board has not been sitting as there are different cases in courts and in police stations.
Barr Osuji Vincent
Barr Osuji who is the legal Adviser of the board accused members of past executives as corrupt and that they contributed to the problem the cooperative is facing.
Barr Osuji expressed gladness that Hon. Abba Isa has come in the form of a Messiah to salvage the situation.
He said although so many untoward things are going on in the cooperative that they are not happy about but he advised that in a situation like this, the SSAP should to exercise some patience before striking or taking action so that he can have time to sleep over these complaints and then take proper decision.
He stated Alhaji Illyasu never gave them one penny as he was only giving them promises upon promises including the promise to give them vehicles which hasn’t been redeemed up till now.
Mr. Adewale Olatunde
Mr Olatunde noted that from his own observation, when the CEO Alhaji Illyasu goes out to source for fund, and the money comes it is not used for the purpose for which it is meant for. He decried that many members of the executives have been treated as nobody, but as a tool to siphon and to defraud others.
Mr Stanley Onyebuchi
Mr Stanley Onyebuchi also complained that years back since he and his colleagues from the East bought and paid for membership forms of the cooperative, the membership cards and other things promised by the CEO have not been delivered.
He said the way cooperative is run everywhere, the standard practice is that members contribute, loans are given to assist members, members used the money contributed to buy things and share to better the lots of members of the cooperative.
He said from all indications, it was obvious that the sole aim of Mr Illyasu becoming the CEO of this cooperative is to use it to make money to the detriment of PWDs . He narrated a situation whereby a PWD walked into a construction company in Lugbe and the MD of the company walked the person out based on the accusations that they were conniving with Alhaji Illyasu to defraud construction companies in the name of awarding contracts of rehabilitation centres.
He added that such an MD if he becomes a governor tomorrow will not like to have anything to do with PWDs, stressing that said such ignoble acts is de-marketing PWDs.
Mr Stanley suggested that the solutions is to reposition this cooperative by removing the CEO in the person of Alhaji Illyasu and replace him with another person that will move the cooperative forward .
Maryam Abdulazeez
While noting that there is no problem without solutions, Mrs Maryam supported the removal and replacement of Alhaji Illyasu as the CEO.
Chizoba Nwakwesi
Mrs Chizoba also corroborated replacement of Alhaji Illyasu as the CEO.
She accused the CEO of using divide and rule method to divide members of the cooperative and chooses to work with those who can dance to his tune. She said anytime, Alhaji Illyasu called for a meeting, they would later realized that there has been a meeting before their own meeting where decisions who have been predetermined.
She also accused him of collecting land and documents from governors in the name of PWDs but never released the documents.
*Meeting Resolution*
After several delibrations, it was resolved that the meeting be adjourned and another meeting be rescheduled while invitation should be extended to the President of the Executive Mr Nkem, President of the Board Mr. Sunola and the CEO in the person of Alhaji Illyasu to give him the opportunity to defend the allegations against him.
It was also resolved that members should start shopping for another suitable replacement for the position of the CEO between now and next meeting
.
