Minister Orders Security Agents To Evict Diaspora Commission Staff From Office

February 13, 2020

Police and other security operatives, allegedly acting on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy’s order on Tuesday forcefully threw out the staff of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission from their office in Abuja.

Though the office belongs to the Nigerian Communications Commission, it was given to NiDCOM by the NCC as temporary office accommodation on the Federal Government’s directive, a senior official said.

The official, who pleaded anonymity, said NiDCOM applied for the office accommodation and the government directed the NCC to give out a floor of its complex to the Diaspora Commission.

However, the minister whose ministry occupies the fourth floor of the complex, allegedly ordered the Disapora Commission staff to vacate the fifth floor because “the commission is not under the ministry.”

When contacted on Wednesday by Journalists, the Minister, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami claimed that he was not aware of the incident.

But investigations revealed that there had been a cold war between Pantami and the Director-General of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa over who has the right to the office located at Mbora District, on the Airport Road, Jabi, Abuja.

The minister’s spokespersons neither denied nor confirmed the allegation against their principal.

Uwa Suleiman, one of the media aides, asked: ‘’Is Minister Pantami in charge of Disapora Commission? Does the said building belong to the Disapora Commission?’’

Another media aide of the minister, Yusuf Abubakar, said he was not aware of the incident.