The federal
Staff Loans Board has come under serious scrutiny over the alleged imperial
manner the current Executive Secretary, Hajia Hannatu Fika runs the prime
Federal Loans Institution. The Executive Secretary whom sources say has been
enjoying unparalleled government patronage is believed to have converted the
Loans Board into what they call “personal fiefdom”! Sources who spoke to our
reporters say that Hajia Hannatu has become “untouchable” travelling and
spending weeks overseas under various guises thus allowing hundreds –if not
thousands of civil servants –to go without their loans reprieve. “People wait
on the queue to get their loans approved and even then are never paid for
sometimes 2-5 years”, bemoaned one Chike Okafor. “ I and my wife applied for
our statutorily allowed stipends to own our own houses; But as I speak to you
now, it is 3 years today and nothing”. Haji Fika who our sources say ought to
have retired decades ago has repeatedly had her appointment renewed by
government. “Infact, the mystery is, we don’t know how she does it; but she has
proved so powerful, we thought she would
have used her privilege to help civil servants”, Mr Okafor stated. Our attempt
to speak to her proved abortive as several times we visited, she was said to
have travelled abroad. As a matter of fact, an anonymous staff revealed that
she hardly spends two weeks at a stretch in Nigeria. “You see her today, the
next day she is gone!” The anonymous staff disclosed that even Developers are
not left out in the poor treatment meted out; they suffer the same fate. Many
of them with subscribers are left in the cold while a select few-her favourites
get paid every now and then”. Another staff who also prefers to remain
anonymous expressed sadness saying “she is the authority here. Many civil
servants regret her oppressive style”. Further investigation revealed that her
fellow colleagues who retired 18 years ago are envying her record government
patronage. “We thought she would have utilised this advantage positively”, they
lamented; but now according to them, she has tuned the revered Institution into
a boiling pot for civil servants. “Her third term tenure ends next October, and
we want to see if government will extend it as they usually do”, said Mr Okafor.
The truth however is: no one dares confront her-even her employers!
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