Workers protest poor welfare at Energy Commission

     The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and workers of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) in Abuja have protested what they described as unfair labour practices and poor conditions of service.

    The workers who started the protest on Tuesday and barricaded the Commission’s gate, also claimed the Director General, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala paid N11.432 million to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and two others to participate in an energy summit in January 2017 when the workers have not been trained.

Chairman of ASCSN, ECN unit, Comrade Promise Chukwu told our reporter that they embarked on the three day protest to ensure the Presidency intervenes by providing work tools, conducive work environment, and transfer the commission to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as it was before coming under Science and Technology. “Since he (DG) assumed office on January 1, 2013, he (Bala) only called the Board of Commissioners once to deliberate on elevation of his “yes men” as Directors. Whereas the Act stipulates that the board shall meet at least twice a year,” Chukwu added.

   Effort to get a reaction from the Media unit failed as the officials were not available for comment. One of them said she could not comment but that the Commission would be opened tomorrow for operation. The DG, Prof. Bala did not respond to the many calls put to his mobile phone lines and was yet to respond to text messages sent to him as at press time on what is being done to resolve the crisis.