Sunday, 31 August 2014

FG sacks NSPMC mgt, appoints new MD, 2 directors

The board of directors of the Nigeria Security Printing Company (NSPMC) yesterday sacked its management and sent the Acting Managing Director and two executive directors on retirement with effect from Monday September 1.
This came few hours after President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to restructure the  mint with a view to making it viable.
In their place, the board approved the appointment of Mr Joseph Ugbo as substantive managing director/chief executive officer and Alhaji Abbas Umar Masanawa, as Executive Director in charge of Finance and Strategy of the company.
Ugbo, according to the statement signed by the Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser, Lawal Adamu, is a seasoned chemical engineer with engineering and managerial experience with an international manufacturing firm.
He said the changes are in line with the new strategic direction of the company aimed at repositioning it as an efficient and profit oriented entity that would serve not only as the banknote and security needs of the country but also those of the West African subregion.
The changes in board composition may have been a fallout of President Goodluck Jonathan marching order to the Central Bank of Nigeria governor to revamp the mint to enable it handle government’s major security printing jobs currently being handled by foreign printers, saying government cannot continue to spend huge sums of money to print materials outside the country.
Speaking during the launch of national e-ID card in Abuja, Jonathan said the order was part of the governor’s mandate when he was appointed, adding that there is no justification for  printing  electoral materials outside the shores of Nigeria when they can be printed locally.

Documents of this nature, he said, are produced  by other countries and so Nigeria cannot afford to empower other countries with such contracts and create jobs for their citizens, urging the apex bank’s board to engage best  global players to ensure that the moribund company is revitalized.
“In fact, when I appointed the new CBN governor, I told him that the Nigerian Security and Minting Company must be reformed. The board must look into management and get choice global players who are into this business and partner with them.
There is no way we should be doing local government elections, House of Assembly or governorship in Oyo, Ekiti, Adamawa and all what we will use is done outside this country.
Other countries produce their needs and yet we claim to be a giant in Africa. A giant that will just send everything out and empower others and we don’t create jobs for our people, he said.
And so Mint must be restructured and both INEC and other bodies should patronize it because going forward, the Federal Executive Council cannot give approval for any printing whether passport ‎or anything except Mint says it cannot produce that. As far as Mint can produce it, we must produce everything in this country.
But then those who will use these services must have their credibility to protect.  That means that Mint must be in a position to tell INEC Chairman that whatever I give you, the security devices are okay and you will get the result you want. We must change our institutions.  We must strengthen them  to move to the direction we want” he said.

No comments:

Post a Comment